


Haunt My Heart

by Kaiciend



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Buzzfeed Unsolved Supernatural, Demon!Shane, M/M, Slow Burn, Tagging as I update, buzzfeed unsolved au, he is an interesting person, ish, shane is a little shit but it is okay, writer!ryan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-04-08 15:54:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 24,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14108862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaiciend/pseuds/Kaiciend
Summary: Ryan Bergara enjoys writing about the supernatural. He's lucky he has a job, albeit small, as a writer for a small section of the newspaper under the pseudonym C.C. Tinsley. He writes weekly about strange happenings around the world and answers his readers' responses in his column.Shane Madej is Shane Madej. What else is there to say about him? He enjoys laughing at people, especially humans.Who is this C.C. Tinsley? Shane wants to know more.(nov 30, 2018: semi-hiatus due to my other fic Animated Life. plz feel free to read.)





	1. Issue No. 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!
> 
> I pitched this idea of a bfu fic to my friend, and they liked it enough to get me to start writing. I'm not good with chaptered fics, but I love this idea too much to let it go.
> 
> I wrote this fic for them, but they haven't read it. lol rude
> 
> *** I reply to comments when I update. So if you have something to say, I'll respond when there's a new chapter. It'll be in the end notes.

_Hello and welcome to another issue of The Unsolved Supernatural. The column where we look at paranormal and mysterious occurrences around the world._

_This week’s issue:_ _we’re going to be discussing the spotting of a mysterious and haunting figure seen near an abandoned house..._

_To those that are new, I’ve dedicated my time to the paranormal. I firmly believe that the afterlife is very real, and ghosts do exist. I say this because I have come into contact with spirits before. That being said, I would like to let my readers that I’ve witnessed a dark energy, possibly a demon, a few days ago. Let’s get into my story._

_The time: Thursday, February 26. The sun was almost fully set. Location: abandoned house near my local grocery store a few blocks away from my apartment. I was just about to turn the corner when something flashed in the corner of my eye. I didn’t get a good look at it, but I remember clearly that it was tall; its figure didn’t seem solid, like it was made of black, hazy smoke. Curious, I crossed the street, deciding to go after this spirit instead of going home._

_The windows were boarded up, and the door was oddly unlocked. That didn’t matter because I saw it happen with my own two eyes. The spirit vanished at the front of the door. As I pushed the door open, I saw the thing again. This time, I caught a glimpse of its eyes. I can recall it so vividly. Yellow eyes surrounded with red. It glowed brightly in contrast with the dark room. I blinked, and the spirit disappeared. I only looked into a couple of rooms, but I left because I was already trespassing property. Everything was old and dusty. There wasn’t much to see._

_In the end, was it a dark spirit? I would say that it is plausible that I’ve encountered what believers might call a demon. The eyes are proof enough. I know my thoughts are not enough. I encourage my readers to send in responses to my work. Let me know your thoughts on this issue at cct@unsolvedparanormal.com or C.C. Tinsley PO BOX 1462 X, YZ XXXXX-XXXX_

_Answering readers’ questions from the last issue of Unsolved:_

**_Alex D._ ** _\- C.C., I did some research on my own, and I found out that there was some reports of alien UFO sightings. Researchers have found mysterious chunks of unidentified metal around the area where it was rumored to be a landing spot of visiting aliens. What do you think about this?_

_Response- Alex, thank you sending your response in. I’ve also looked into this. I didn’t include this part in last week’s issue because there wasn’t enough evidence to back it up. I didn’t find much on it, but all I can find is that the researchers ended up throwing away the evidence for some unknown reason. It seems suspicious, like they were trying to cover up something. Could it be that they are aliens trying to get rid of any and all proofs of their existence?_

**_Morgan R._ ** _\- I was wondering to myself, what if aliens are like us? What if there are different species of aliens, and they’re all related? Aliens that only make crop circles and aliens that stay hovering above our planet, just observing. Wouldn’t that be cool?_

_Response- Thank you, Morgan. Yes, you may be getting somewhere with this. It would be very fascinating if aliens turn out to be just like us. It makes me think that they just might living among us. We just can’t pick them out from the crowd because they can blend in with the environment so well._

**_Mary E._ ** _\- Hey, Tinsley! I just want to say that I’m a sceptic on a lot of things. Maybe it was just a bunch of people messing around with us? People pull wild pranks all the time, and a lot of people believe them. If there’s no physical evidence and only words from the researchers, then I don’t think that’d be enough to trust that it was really aliens that crashed landed in that area._

_Response- I understand your point, Mary, and I respect your view on this matter. I believe that it is enough to be aliens. Farmers nearby the area of the crash got to the site first before the researchers came in and took away the evidence. They’ve done interviews, and they, too, believe that it was some strange material they have never seen before._

 

_This concludes this week’s issue of The Unsolved Supernatural. Thank you for reading and supporting my work._

_-C.C. Tinsley_

 

Ryan proudly smiled at his latest published issue of his series of unsolved mysteries. It was his child, and he’d gladly spend his last breath doing what he loved to the most. Sure, it can take a toll on his brain. Trying to contact the dead made his heart run a marathon every time. Alas, Ryan Bergara was a man on a mission, a mission to prove the existence of the supernatural. He knew they were real; his recent encounter with the hazy, black figure with yellow eyes was still on his mind. What could it be? It was really nagging his brain, and Ryan wanted to know more about that thing.

He opened his laptop and went on the browser. He searched: _spirit with yellow and red eyes_.

There wasn’t much about his search, but scrolling all the way to the bottom of the page, he found a site dedicated to lesser known spirits. He clicked on it and was directed to a site that opened with a warning pop-up on triggers.

Ryan closed it and began clicking around the website. He clicked the link that directed him to articles around classifying demons by their eyes.

_Single colored:_

_Lower-ranking demons will only have single-colored eyes. They are born from death, not from royalty._

_White eyes_

_The lowest rank of demons and the weakest. They are new to the underworld and are like newborns. These demons are the most common. It is rare to see them roaming about on the surface. They can’t hold their physical forms in the human world._

_Blue eyes_

_Second to lowest in rank. They are the servants of Hell. They can be on the surface but not for long, only for a day. They manifest as white, blurry figures._

_Green eyes_

_Third in rank. They can be the gatekeepers of Hell or soldiers that fight for their ruler. They are more rare than the demons above, as demons have to live for more than a century before they can rise in ranks._

_They roam the surface, perfectly capable of shifting into a human form but not long. They are able to stay on the surface for days at a time, but they still need to return to their demonic form to replenish their energy._

_Violet eyes_

_Second in rank. They are one of the oldest demons in Hell. They are often the ruler’s council members and advisors._

_Though they are able to stay on the surface for years without having to turn back into their true form, they will often choose to stay underground, for their lives are dedicated to their ruler, and it is their duty to stay by their side._

_Two colors:_

_Only demons from the royal family can have two-colored eyes. Royal eyes always have red. They are a high-ranking demon. Powerful in ancient magic that has been passed down from generations over thousands of years. Only twenty of these royal demons can exist at a time every two hundred years._

_Partners of the ruler of Hell are granted two-colored eyes as soon as they are married into the royal family._

_Orange and Red eyes_

_Any royal demon that isn’t the ruler of Hell. They have taken over royal affairs due to the political issues occurring in Hell. They manifest as black figures with eyes in demonic form on the surface but can assume a human façade also._

_These demons are only capable of offensive and defensive magic; they can’t use spells. Only the ruler has the power to use all three types of magic._

_Pink and Red_

_Only partners of Hell can have these eyes. Contrary to everything, these demons are just as strong as the ruler of Hell. This is because they share the same life force, thus the same abilities. The pink indicates love, as they are the partners of the ruler._

 

Finally getting near the end of the page, Ryan’s eyes widen at the words he had been looking for.

_Red and yellow eyes_

_The ruler of Hell. The most powerful demon in existence. Can perform powerful offensive and defensive magic along with using spells. This demon can appear as a black, misty figure with eyes or blending in as a human._

_It has been rumored that the current ruler of Hell has disappeared, and no one really knows about the whereabouts of the demon. The last sighting of the demon was around a half a century ago. This has created chaos and panic in Hell. The royal family has collectively taken over this position in order to calm the underworld._

 

Finishing the last sentence, Ryan lets out the breath he didn’t know he was holding. So his eyes didn’t mess with him the other day then! He knew he saw something weird; he just didn’t know what it was. But after reading through the website, he figured out what the spirit was. The actual ruler of Hell.

Ryan lets out a long sigh and buries his face in his hands, letting the new information slowly process in his jumbled mind. It was too much all at once.

Giving up for the day, Ryan glaced at the clock and deemed it okay enough to call it quits. He headed towards his small, cramped bathroom and turned on the shower. After taking off his clothes, he stuck his hand under water to feel for the temperature. It was hot but never hot enough for his liking. Ryan couldn’t complain too much; he was lucky to make an passable living doing what he loved.

He hopped into the shower and closed his eyes, letting the warm water 'wash' away his worries and stress plaguing his mind for the past few days.

Little did Ryan know, just across the hall, there was a presence manifesting in his bedroom. The thing looks around the room, accessing possible dangers. Its head snaps towards the sound of the bathroom door creaking open. It quickly vanishes before it could get caught.

Ryan trudges to his bed and flops face down onto his worn mattress. He closes his eyes in hopes of sleep, but a sudden feeling of fear and darkness hits him. The man quickly sits up and looks around the room but couldn’t find anything that would be a threat.

Chalking it up to his mind overthinking, he turns off the lights and buries his head into his pillow and his problems with sleep.

Yellow eyes rimmed with red blink in curiosity at the foot of the bed. It walks closer to the sleeping human. A hand reaches out as if it was to touch the fragile being. It hesitates as the man mumbles something unintelligible and rolls to his right side. The thing returns its hand to its side. It stands there staring at Ryan.

And vanishes.


	2. Interlude Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ryan can't seem to get the demon out of his mind. He decides to learn more about it. Let's just say that he doesn't have the best luck when meeting strangers.

Yellow and red eyes haunt Ryan’s dreams that night.

_He was running. Running from what? He didn’t know. He looked behind him, and all he could sense in the murky forest environment was a dark presence coming after him._

_Ryan continued running but suddenly fell, tripping on a protruding tree root._

_“Shit!” he swore, noticing something trickling down his knee._

_He looked up, and his eyes met with haunting ones. The black figure slowly moved forward, backing the fallen human into a tree._

_Ryan’s entire body shook, “Wh-what do you want with me?”_

_The thing said nothing in response, only raised a finger pointing at Ryan._

_He blinked, and the figure disappeared. He blinked again, and the last thing he saw was a hand coming down and grabbing his face._

_ His vision became completely dark. He was free falling down a void. It was never-ending. _

Ryan’s body suddenly jolted awake. He could feel his entire body pulse with his rapidly beating heart.

His hair was sweaty and uncomfortably clung to his forehead. He pushed his hair back and looked around the room. It was only three in the morning. He waits for his eyes to slowly adjust to the dark.  His hand grasps for his charging phone on his nightstand, and he opens his emails. There’s one from his editor asking for his idea on the next Unsolved issue. Well, he can ignore that for a few days.

Ryan sighed and locked his phone, the room returning to its previous dark state. He laid back in bed and tried to fall back asleep.

After tossing and turning for some time, Ryan gave up. It was no use. Those recent events have seemed to be the only thing occupying his mind, and he was too curious for his own good. He felt like Alice falling down a rabbit hole, and the only way out was...

To go for a walk in the dark?

Ryan didn’t know why his body automatically walked out the apartment but whatever, he guessed. It wasn’t like he could sleep peacefully, so he might as well kill time. He walked without thought, just letting his mind blank out and his feet take him wherever. He whistled tonelessly to take the paranoia of something lurking in the shadows. Well, Ryan felt that his actions were justified seeing as he actually saw the ruler of Hell. Who wouldn’t be paranoid about being jumped by a demon? He was pretty brave to go outside at night where the chances of bumping into people are lower side of fate.

Yeah, he was brave.

Ryan stood up straighter, sure that he wouldn’t have to deal with demons tonight.

But right after he thought of those words, he stopped in his tracks. In front of him was the house he had been in when he saw the demon with yellow and red eyes. Somehow he walked to this abandoned house. Why? He felt an odd pull towards the place like it was beckoning him to go deeper inside the broken down house. The door was wide open. Maybe someone broke in.

A strong gust of wind blew right past him, and Ryan stumbled forward into the house. He was freaking out. That definitely felt more like someone had pushed him than wind blowing. He didn’t know what was going on.

Ryan whipped his head side to side to look around the dusty room. It was a living room he realized. The couches were torn apart, and the wallpaper were mostly torn down. It looked like someone lashed out and turned the entire place upside down. Looking around the dirt and dust covered, worn floorboards, he spotted footprints leading farther into the house, down the hallway. Ryan followed them into the ever-growing darkness. He didn’t notice the black figure behind him the entire time though, his mind too occupied on finding the story of this home.

Deeper and deeper he went and colder and colder the place got. Ryan finally noticed that his breaths were creating wisps of condensation each time he breathed out. It was strange because it wasn’t that cold. It was nearing Spring.

He pulled his collar of his coat closer to his face and braved forward. The footprints seemed to be heading down the hallways and to the room at the very end. Upon reaching the room, Ryan saw that the place was... normal?

Unlike the rest of the house, this room wasn’t trashed. It was like someone kept the room clean and organized. Why would anyone go inside an abandoned house? Why this room and not the other three? There wasn’t a caked layer of dust and grime to be seen.

Ryan turned on his phone’s flashlight to get a better look at the room he was standing in. He walked up to the drawer next to the bed and examined a photo. It was out of place; the picture frame was covered in dust. But picking it up, he could kind of make out two people, one holding something. He wanted to see what the photo was of, so he set his phone with the light facing up. He wiped the dust off, and his eyes widened.

A man with his arms around a woman who was holding an cat. They were looking at each other and laughing when the picture was taken. Ryan looked closely, studying their clothes. It certainly wasn’t what people would normally wear today. Stange. It was something he’d have to do some research on. He took a picture on his phone and set the frame back down on the drawer.

He checked the time; only half an hour passed, but it felt like more. Regardless of how much time he had spent here, it was still illegal. He should probably get going.

Ryan turned around and headed out into the hallway. Looking down, he noticed that the footprints were now gone. There was supposed to be two sets of them, his and the ones he followed. He knew which was his. What the fuck was going on!?

“Well, hello there,” a sultry, male voice sounded from behind him.

Ryan jumped at the unannounced voice and turned around. A dark human figure was on the bed leaning against the headboard.

“Who- who are you?” Ryan stuttered out, “No one should be here. This is trespassing.”

“Nonsense,” the figure chuckled, “How is it trespassing if this is my property? What _you’re_ doing is trespassing, excuse me.”

The clouds seemed to may way for the full moon tonight. The light shone inside the room, making it easier to see a bit more. As the light hit the dark figure, Ryan was able to see the person’s face. Handsome, and he realized it was the same exact man as the one in the picture. He quickly turned on his flashlight to shine at the man. Behind said man were shadows of a pair of wings and horns.

“Demon...” said Ryan softly in fear.

The ‘man’ on the bed got up and started walking towards him. Ryan slowly walked backwards and unluckily hit a wall. The demon braced himself against the wall and hovered over the frightened human. It bent down and nosed Ryan’s neck, inhaling his scent. All Ryan could do was stand there, frozen in fear. He was afraid that one wrong move would get his neck snapped and his heart ripped out.

“You smell absolutely divine,” said the demon, “Then again, fear will always smell better than anything other feeling. Better than lust.”

It ran a finger down the poor, frightened man’s cheek, stopping all the way down at his racing heart. Ryan gulped loudly and shut his eyes closed, hoping everything was all just a dream and that he would wake up to reality. Reality didn’t have demons. Reality didn’t have him shaking like a leaf. Reality wasn’t like this.

“This isn’t real. This isn’t happening. This is just a dream. This is just a dream,” Ryan chanted to himself.

“Y’know this is very real,” the demon said, getting quite a kick out of the situation.

It took a step back and looked at the man in front of him. Decent looking, it supposed. It could have some fun with this one.

“I think I had enough for now.”

Ryan opened his eyes, “What?”

“I’ll see you very soon.”

The demon put a hand over the man’s eyes and snapped.

* * *

 

_Beep Beep Beep_

“Fuck,” groaned Ryan.

He blindly felt for his phone and turned the damn alarm off. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked at the time.

9:00 AM.

What a wild he dream he had last night. Dream within a dream. Demons and a haunted house? Wack.

He realized that all those weird dreams starting happening after he encountered the demon.

Ryan trudged to the bathroom and turned on the shower. He looked at the mirror and saw that he looked like a zombie. Bags under his eyes from terrible sleep. There was a mark on his neck. It looked like a scratch. Strange, he didn’t remember when he got that. He leaned closer to the mirror to closely examine his injury. It was fresh and red. It was an X.

Ryan rubbed his neck but didn’t feel any pain. Normally it would hurt, but it didn’t. He blinked a few times. He saw something standing behind him from the mirror. He blinked again, and it was gone. He turned around and saw nothing. His mind has been playing a lot of tricks on his recently. He really needed proper rest.

Ryan stepped into the shower and let the water calm him. He ran over his bizzare dream. Could he even call it a dream? It felt so real to him, and meeting a demon was that wild according to him. He believed in the existence of them.

“Whatever,” he mumbled to himself and focused on cleaning himself.

* * *

 

He browsed through his emails, reading through his readers’ responses on his possible demon encounter story. He absolutely adored his fans. They were his livelihood.

Ryan opened an email sent from someone named Banjo McClintock.

He laughs at the name.

_To Mr. C.C. Tinsley,_

_I would like to start off by saying ghosts aren’t real. How do you really know that that was a demon you saw that night. That day was pretty foggy, so maybe your mind was playing tricks on you. You know psychologists say that the more you think about something, the more it seems real to you. You looking for something means that your mind will fill in holes for you, and you’ll think you’ll see something._

_Your friendly neighborhood sceptic,_

_McClintock._

_PS._

_Ghosts aren’t real._

_PPS._

_Ghosts still aren’t real._

Ryan rolled his eyes and started his reply.

_To the friendly neighborhood sceptic,_

_Thanks for your kind words. I still believe in ghosts and demons. What I saw that night was real. I did some research and found a website that had stuff on demons._

_I know I saw yellow and red eyes. I looked it up. It was a demon._

_Not just any demon. I saw the ruler of Hell itself, with my very own eyes. You can’t say what I saw wasn’t real because you weren’t there._

_I respect your view on demons and spirits. Not everyone can think like me. Feel free to change your mind after you’ve enlightened yourself some._

_Your welcoming believer,_

_C.C. Tinsley_

 

Ryan looked up at the corner of his laptop and checked the time. It was a bit past noon.

He raised his arms up and stretched. It was time for lunch, so he got changed and walked out into his small living to grab his coat and backpack that he flung lazily onto his couch. He checked for his keys in his pocket and headed outside.

The sun was hiding behind clouds, but the weather was tolerable. Ryan jay-walked across the street and headed towards the nearby cafe.

He greeted the workers and ordered his usual drink and sandwich. Ryan sat by the window and pulled out his laptop and got to work. He needed to get started on the first draft of his column before his editor hounded him.

Ryan immerse himself in his writing, only occasionally taking a bite of food or a sip of coffee. He paid no heed to what was going on around him in the cafe.

That was until he heard a familiar voice.

“Hello again,” the voice said smoothly.

Ryan looked up with wide, confused eyes.

“You...”

It was the man, the demon from the house. This time it was dressed in normal clothes, fitting in perfectly with the crowd. Now under more light, Ryan could see how nice looking the demon was. Silky brunette hair softly combed back, transparent-framed glasses sitting on top of its nose. Oh, those eyes. Ryan could stare at them forever.

It broke him out of this thoughts, “Hi.”

Ryan started to shake, a hand coming up to cover the X on his neck.

“Relax, darling,” the demon crooned, “We’re in a public place.”

It sat gracefully on the chair in front of the human, just inviting itself. Its hand went across the table and grabbed Ryan’s hand and kissed it.

“Unless you’re into that kind of thing,” it winked, “I’m open to new things.”

The demon’s eyes glinted. Rays caught golden yellow and fiery red.

 _The fuck is going on!?_ Ryan screamed in his mind.

 


	3. Interlude Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryan gets to spend some quality time with Shane.

Ryan shot out of his chair, pointing a finger at the demon in front of him, “You- you!”

“You talkin’ to the ghost behind me or me?” it asked with a fake wide-eyed, confused. expression.

“Fuck this! I'm done,” Ryan left his food half unfinished and grabbed his things and left the place.

He walked quickly towards his apartment, hoping the demon wasn’t following him home.

“Hey!” it called from behind him, “You can’t just leave me back there all alone. That’s rude! Is that how you treat royalty?”

“'Royalty' my ass,” Ryan grumbled and walked even faster.

“Hey, you listening?” the demon suddenly popped in front of him.

Ryan jumped back. How the fuck!?

Fine. He won’t go home. He’ll just walk around his block until the demon got bored and let him alone. Ryan turned heels in the opposite direction. He really didn’t want to deal with the supernatural right now. He shoved his headphones into his ears and played his music, drowning out whatever the demon behind was saying to him.

After about ten minutes of walking, Ryan pulled his headphones off and noticed silence. He turned around and saw the demon occupied by his phone...

It was humming something, and he was curious as to what it was doing. It didn’t bother him anymore, just tagging along and walking behind him.

“So...” Ryan said, “you’re a demon, huh?”

“Nope” it replied, letting the p pop.

“Wait. What? Seriously?”

“I’m actually a cupid.”

“The fuck!? Fuck you,” Ryan fired back.

He finally stopped at his building entrance.

“Aren’t you gonna, like, kill me?” he asked hesitantly.

“Why would I kill you?”

“Because I know who you are?” Ryan asked like it was obvious.

“Eh,” shrugged the demon.

“Oh.”

And the conversation stopped there. Ryan walked back to his house, deeming it okay to do so.

He fished out his keys from his backpack and unlocked the door. He stepped in and dropped everything down. He rummaged through his sad fridge; he really needed to restock on food.

Ryan turned around and saw the demon still standing out the door.

“Aren’t you gonna come in?” he asked.

It knocked on air, “I have to be invited in first.”

“You can come in.”

“Thank you, but I was just messing with you. You didn’t need to do that actually,” the demon laughed.

Ryan rolled his eyes and grabbed a cup and filled it with water. He flipped a middle finger at the demon as he drank. He continued to walk around the apartment and ignore the presence of the demon.

The demon. It.

“What’s your name anyways?” Ryan asked while straightening the pillows on his couch, “You never told me...”

“Hmm,” it wondered, “Shane, I guess.”

“Shane?”

“Shane Madej. That’s my name.”

Ryan was utterly confused, “Then why did you say ‘I guess’?”

It shrugged, “I wasn’t sure if that was the name I wanted.”

Whatever, it was too much for Ryan to think about right now. Looking at the clock, it was only--

“Only three,” he sighed.

He flopped on his couch and gave Shane a look, “Why are you still here? Don’t you have stuff to do? You are the ruler of Hell, aren’t you?”

Shane flopped onto the couch a feet away from Ryan. He scooted to the right out of unconscious fear. The demon just rolled his eyes.

“Relax, buddy,” said Shane, “By ‘stuff’, do you mean killing people and taking their souls?”

Ryan’s eyes widened at those words and gulped.

Shane only fueled the fear by hovering close above Ryan once again. He bent down near his neck and sniffed.

“Ah, fear,” Shane moved back, a wicked smile on his face.

He laughed at the man in front of him. He couldn’t look more pale.

“I’m just playin’ with ya,” he laughed, “I don’t that kind of stuff, and I certainly can’t smell emotions.”

“Huh?”

“What have you been reading, Ryan?” Shane asked, “You know you shouldn’t trust everything on the internet. Who knows what bullshit, false statements people put up on the interweb.”

Ryan felt... offended? More curious than before? Whatever, he chucked a throw pillow at Shane. This started a pillow fight.

“Hey, watch the hair!”

“What? Your ugly mug?” Ryan countered.

Thus, the childish fight continued until Shane tackled Ryan and pinned him down onto the carpet.

“Gotcha!”

Ryan just stared up at Shane. Oddly, he didn’t look like a demon. There was something about him Ryan just couldn’t put into words. Those eyes were warm brown.

“Shane...” Ryan murmured, his hand moving.

The man on top leaned down closer.

“Aha!” shouted Ryan, taking the pillow and smacking Shane’s head with it.

“Oh, you lil shit!”

Shane wrestled Ryan for dominance but ends up underneath the smaller man. Ryan smiles in victory. Shane looked into the human’s eyes, noticing how welcoming they were. He wanted to know more about this man. But before he could do anything else, Ryan jumped back and off of him.

“Shit! I’m so sorry I was on you,” he apologized.

His face was slightly warm. Embarrassed to get caught up in the moment with the demon.

Shane knew better than to feel anything deep for humans. He shook his head and got up. He headed towards the door.

“It’s fine,” he said as he turned the door knob.

“Wait!” Ryan called after him, “You’re gonna leave?”

Shane waved a lazy hand, “Yeah, stuff to do. Sorry.”

Ryan watched from the couch as the man left. An empty feeling grew inside his chest. He placed a hand over his heart; it was pounding fast. But for what? For who?

He didn’t want to know.

He walked to his room with his head down. He sat at his desk and tapped a pen on the surface. Ryan didn’t know what else to do. It wasn’t even dinner time, so he had to reason to get moving. What he really had in mind was figuring out Shane.  Weren’t demons supposed to be scary and haunting? Not friendly and whatever like Shane. Shane didn’t look demonic. He looked...

Ryan hummed to himself, looking for the right word to describe Shane.

“Pleasant...” he said to himself.

He opened his laptop and his work. He began typing away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if any of you have picked up on spoiler hints in these three chapters. Any guesses? :)  
> Let me know in the comments.


	4. Issue No. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More haunted stories, Ryan goes deeper into the house. What does he find?

_Hello and welcome to another issue of The Unsolved Supernatural. The column where we look at paranormal and mysterious occurrences around the world._

_This week’s issue: we’re going to be discussing Robert the Doll, a doll that’s haunted. Let’s go back in time. 113 years ago, a boy by the name of Robert Eugene Otto, who went by ‘Gene’, was gifted a doll as a birthday present from his grandfather. The boy named the doll Robert. He cherished the doll. Everywhere Gene went, Robert went. He would even talk to the doll as if it was a person. I’ll get back to this later._

_Supposedly, the servants of the Otto family weren’t treated fairly. One of the servants eventually had enough. She was apparently skilled in voodoo magic and cursed Robert, putting dark spirits inside it._

_Odd things occurred. The Otto family would find mutilated toys, overturned furniture, and strange happenings. Servants would hear the boy talking with someone else. Sounds of giggling would come from the doll. Gene would often cry for help, and his parents would come running. They’d see him in a circle of furniture mysteriously moved. He’d blame Robert, and the doll would glare in return..._

_It was said that Robert would be seen moving around from window to window. Eventually, the doll would be moved to the attic where it would look out the window of the house, staring at the people outside. Robert’s facial expressions would also change._

_Legend has it that Gene’s wife died from insanity after putting Robert in the attic. Gene would come to die in 1974, and the doll was left in the attic. Soon, a new family would move into the vacant house and discover the doll. The child of the new family would experience the hauntings of Robert the Doll. Rather than throwing it away, it was given to Fort East Martello Museum in Key West, Florida._

_It’s also said that Robert is cursed. Visitors must ask for permission from the doll in order to taking pictures of it. If the doll tilts its head, then permission isn’t granted. In the surrounding area where Robert is placed, there are notes asking for forgiveness for not seeking permission for a photo. Visitors would also see the doll move and blink._

_In the end, is Robert the Doll haunted? Is it evil with the spirits the voodoo servant cursed it with?Or is it just a legend of wild stories from an over imaginative little boy?_

_Let me know your thoughts on this issue at cct@unsolvedparanormal.com or C.C. Tinsley PO BOX 1462 X, YZ XXXXX-XXXX_

 

_Answering readers’ questions from the last issue of Unsolved:_

**_Sirus J._ ** _\- You’ve written about dabbling in black magic and trying to summon things with pentagrams. Do you think it’s possible that the events from the past are now catching up to you? Please stay safe!_

_Response- Thank you for your concerns, Sirus. I made sure to close everything off before ending my sessions. I would like to think that I’m safe, but who knows. I’ll try to be more careful from now on._

**_Will Q._ ** _\- Is there any proof of demons? I’m open to this idea, but why haven’t we seen any? What do they look like?_

_Response- Well, to answer your questions, Will, demons do exist. In fact, you can identify them by their appearances. Lower, weaker demons usually can’t hold a solid form. They’re often hazy black looking. Second, their eyes. Demons have different kinds of eyes that can help you determine their ranks in Hell. For more information, I suggest you look through this website: demonicpowersthatbe.com_

**_Jason P._ ** _\- Hello. What do you think the demon was doing? Do you think it was haunting the house you saw?_

 _Response- I’m not really sure, Jason. I’ve actually returned to the house one day to kind of explore the place. The house was in shambles. I don’t know much about the people that used to live in the house. I have a feeling the demon_ **_is_ ** _haunting the house. I’m not sure why..._

 **_Pedro L._ ** _\- I really like reading about your experiences with the supernatural. I enjoy the issues about other things, but reading about you exploring things seems more real. Thank you for your hard work, Tinsley._

_Response- Thank you for your kind words, Pedro. I think I’d be too scared if I was to always put myself out there into possible danger for each issue. Sometimes, writing about historic hauntings is interesting and refreshing. I can’t necessarily recreate catacombs from scratch and just start slaughtering people. I try to have a health balance of both types of things._

 

_This concludes this week’s issue of The Unsolved Supernatural. Thank you for reading and supporting my work._

_-C.C. Tinsley_

 

Finally finished.

It took Ryan longer than usual for write this issue. His mind kept wandering back to Shane. He leaned back in his chair with his head back and spun around boredly.

“Wonder what he’s up to right now...” Ryan wondered.

Wait. When did Ryan stop calling the demon ‘it’? It was a demon for God’s sake!

In the back of his head, he was itching to go back to the house. He wasn’t sure if Shane was there.

* * *

 “Why am I back here?” Ryan asked himself.

He found himself standing in front of the abandoned house once again. At least this time he wasn’t as scared.

Again, the door was opened...

Shane ought to close the door, Jesus.

Ryan walked right in through the front door.

“Shane?” he called out for the demon, “You here?”

He walked down the hallway and to the room where he first met Shane. No one was there to greet him. He guessed the demon wasn’t in the house right now.

Ryan decided to explore the rest of the surprising big house. He never got a chance to the first time he went inside. The room to the left of it seemed to be a library of sorts. Books lined the shelves that reached all the way to to the ceiling. All the books were covered in dust. Cobwebs in corners and a rocking chair with worn paint. It was straight out of the late 1800s. A fireplace was in the back of the room with the firelogs covered in moss. There were pots with dried soil and a tea set on the round table by two chairs. The windows were cracked and the curtains were either torn or on the ground. There wasn’t much in this room besides books. Ryan walked out to go to another room.

The room across the library was a guest room. It was just as dusty as the rest of the house. It would’ve been a nice place to stay the night in had it not been in this current condition.

Next to the the room was the bathroom. The mirror was broken. Ryan looked at the many reflections of himself. Something about it was haunting.

He finally noticed something behind him from the reflection of the mirror. Orange and red eyes were staring deep into his souls. A cold shiver ran through him. He quickly turned around and saw something moving down the hallway. Ryan ran out the bathroom and looked down the hall. He saw it disappear into the room all the way at the end and followed it.

When he reached the room, he caught it just before it phased through the floor. He walked to the spot where the thing disappeared and the floor creaked at the weight of his body standing on top of it. The spot was covered with a rug, so Ryan pulled it away. It revealed a trap door. He knew better than to go down there. After all, this was a ‘haunted’ house, and usually that entails a creep room where the murders happen.

But he was too curious for his own good, and that going to bite his ass one day. Ryan bent down and pulled up on the handle of the door. After some straining, the door flung open, and the man fell back from the sudden change in balance. Wooden stairs lead the way down into a void. He turned on his phone’s light and shined it down the path; he took a step down the stairs that creak and bent. He jumped at the muffled sound of laughter coming from downstairs.

Ryan gulped but continued on. He looked around the room when he reached the bottom. A shadowy figure moved quickly across his field of vision.

“Who’s there!?” Ryan shouted out.

A sudden clang of something being knocked over was heard.

“Shane, is that you?” he trembled, “This isn’t funny. Stop it now.”

The man decided that if he wanted to survive another day, he should go back up the stairs. He walked backwards up, not wanting to expose his back to whatever was down in the dark room.

“Holy fuck!” Ryan shouted when his back collided with something.

He was really hoping that the demon thingy didn’t have a friend because nope.

“What are you doing here?” asked the person he bumped into.

“Oh, Shane! Thank God it’s you.” said Ryan, relieved that he now had someone to protect him.

They walked back up the stairs, and Shane waved his hand, magically closing the door and putting the rug back on top. Ryan began walking out the room, ready to go back home and knock out.

A hand shot out and grabbed Ryan’s arm; it’s grip was almost painful. Shane tugged him back inside.

Shane’s eyes bored into the human’s, “Why are you here? What were you doing down there?”

“I- I was just looking around, and I saw something behind me! I freaked out, and I followed it,” Ryan answered.

The demon’s eyes flashed.

He spoke slowly, voiced deeper, “What did you see?”

The grip on Ryan’s wrist got tighter. He winced in pain.

“I swear I didn’t see anything!” he confessed, “Shane, please let go. It hurts...”

He was shaking; he didn’t know what Shane was capable of doing, but he knew the demon was able to snap his neck in a second.

Shane closed his eyes and slowly breathed out. He loosened his grip on Ryan.

“It’s dangerous for you to go down there, and you shouldn’t be here alone,” he said, voice back to normal.

Ryan tugged himself free.

“Whatever...” he said, “What was that thing down there though? A demon?”

He saw his body tense up, jaw rigid and eyes hard.

“There was a demon?” Shane asked, “What did it look like? Where you hurt?”

The human wondered why Shane cared so much about him. He barely knew him, and he was just mortal human.

The same thing was happening. The demon wondered to himself why he felt the need to shield the feeble human from harm.

“I didn’t get a good look, but I think I saw orange and red eyes...”

Shane pushed Ryan out the house.

“Hey, get gentle!” Ryan protested the rough handling, “I’m human here, long legs!”

The demon didn’t respond.

“What’s going on?” asked Ryan.

They reached the door. Shane guided Ryan out the house, not following him. The human turned around to see if he was going with him.

“You shouldn’t come here anymore.”

“Huh?”

Shane stepped back and twirled his hand, using magic to shut the door in Ryan’s face.

“Hey! Shane?” Ryan shouted, pouding the door, “Open up!”

No reply.

“Fine, be that way you dick!” he huffed.

He stomped down the wooden stairs and walked back to his apartment.

When he got inside,  he let out a scream. He didn’t care if he neighbors got mad at the noise. Ryan was annoyed that Shane would just kick him out like that and not answer his questions. What did he mean by danger? It was just a low level demon that probably couldn’t do much harm. Why was Shane so worried about him anyways?

Ryan never backed out from anything once he set his mind on something. He was determined to get some answers even if it meant walking into danger.

* * *

Ryan scrolled through the website again. Reading on some more demon lore.

_Contrary to popular culture, demons can’t be affected from holy water and the cross. No one really knows the true weakness of demons to render them dead._

_They do not need their heart to live, but it is rumored that taking away the heart stone of a demon could possibly make them weak enough to kill._

There were some stuff on how demons ate souls and other things. Ryan’s eyes were starting to droop. He closed the lid of his laptop and turned over on his right side with his back away from the window.

Glowing blue eyes look inside the dark room. It spots the human it encountered earlier.

It scratches something on window pane with its long rotten nails before disappearing.

_YOU_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My dumb ass was researching Robert the doll at 4 am  
> I scared myself.
> 
> Don't do this, kids.


	5. Interlude Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryan meets someone new and trouble. Shane feels guilty for his treatment towards Ryan.  
> Shane reveals a bit about his homeland.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've finally gone back and edited the previous chapters. I hope typos have been cleared. I've also added and changed a few things here and there, so feel free to reread the fic.

Emails emails emails

Ryan clicked away. He had been looking at readers’ responses for the past hour. His eyes were starting to sting and water.

He looked out the window and saw the sun high and bright at 3 PM. His stomach grumbled in protest for the lack of food. Ryan grabbed his phone and jacket and headed out.

* * *

Lunch was just a sandwich. It wasn’t much, but it calmed his stomach.

He sat down at a park nearby. Dogs were beginning to show up. One even ran up to him. It was a cute black corgi that was happy to receive pets and head scratches. It didn’t want to leave Ryan, so the owner sat down on the bench while he let Ryan play with the dog.

“I never seen a black corgi before...” Ryan mused as the dog gave him kisses.

“She’s a rare colored dog. I was lucky I found this girl abandoned near my apartment. She was too weak to go on, so I took her in,” the man said.

“I see...”

Ryan looked at the time on his phone and saw that it was past the time he had set aside for his lunch break.

“Well, it was nice meeting you and your dog, but I gotta go,” Ryan said as he got up from the grass.

“The same. I didn’t get a name,”

“Ryan.”

The man grabbed his dog, “I’m Richard, but you can call me Rick.”

Ryan bid goodbye to his new acquaintance and pet the dog once more. He walked back to his apartment, suddenly happier and more at ease. Maybe nothing will go wrong for once.

* * *

After five minutes of walking, something was wrong. It felt like someone was staring at him, but when he looked around, he saw nothing. However, looking at the corner of his eye, there was a shady figure lurking around. Ryan picked up his pace. There were still a few more blocked til he reached his apartment. Should he run?

Suddenly, he could hear distant footstep sounding on the empty sidewalk. Eerie whispers in Ryan’s ears made him shiver. It was a scratchy voice.

_Your soul_

_Give it to me..._

He broke out into a run, not looking back. The voice got louder and louder.

He finally reached the outer door of his apartment complex. He didn’t bother to greet the nice neighbor that was always out tending to the cleanliness of the stairs. Ryan jabbed the elevator button, panicking as he waited. Behind him, the old creaky door opened slowly, and the shadowy figure walk into the hallway. The elevator wasn’t coming, so he dashed up those five flights of steps.

As soon as he made it to his door, he fumbled for his keys. Clumsy hands made him drop it. Ryan’s hands were shaking, trying to get the key into the hole. Once he unlocked the door, he slammed it shut and locked everything including the chain lock he never bothered to use.

He looked through the door viewer. So far there was nothing to see through the hole, but he could hear a voice calling for him.

_Untainted soul_

_Must have..._

Ryan gulped but continued on the lookout for the stalking demon, ghost, whatever it was. He blinked and opened his eyes to a creepy orange eye staring right at him through the hole. He yelped and scrambled around his apartment wondering what to do.

Just right outside the door, the demon was dragging its claws down the panel of the door, leaving deep gouges on the surface.

The man was panicking. Never had a demon try to get him. He didn’t even do anything!

There wasn’t any place to hide in his small apartment, but the only place he could think of was the small walk-in closet. He hurried to the closet just as the demon phased right through the door. It spotted the human with his hand on the door knob; it made its way to Ryan.

He was too frozen to move any farther. Instead, he was backed into the corner. Ryan felt like a helpless prey; he curled into a ball with his arms, uselessly shielding him as the demon got closer and closer.

The demon bent down at the scared human’s level and effortlessly pinned Ryan’s arms against the closet door. He started to tear up.

“No...” he sobbed.

It breathed out into his face, the air coming out cold. Ryan shivered. Whether it was from fear or from the cold, he didn’t know.

The demon let go of Ryan’s arms to put one hand on his throat and the other on his chest where his heart was beating rapidly. As soon as its claw came into contact with the human, a bright blue light shone, the demon dissipated into black smoke that went away in a matter of seconds.

Ryan blinked in surprise when he saw that the demon was no longer there. He stayed on the floor, too shocked and scared. He didn’t know what was going on. Ryan broke out into tears as he went over what had just happened. A demon tried to kill him. It chased him down and cornered him. He was defenceless and weak.

A sudden wave of tiredness washed over his body. He curled up again and laid his head on his arms. He stayed like that for the duration of the afternoon.

* * *

Shane felt oddly bad. He felt bad for being rude to Ryan. He was just a curious human that pried too much into the demon realm. The foolish mortal didn’t know any better. Yeah, that was all.

He sighed as he decided to resign and go see the human to apologize for his actions. He moved his hands in front of him in a circle and snapped. A portal appeared, and he went in it. He stepped out into the front of Ryan’s apartment. Immediately, he sensed that something wasn’t right. The door appeared to be clawed at. This made Shane start to worry.

He phased through the door and looked around for the human.

Where was Ryan’s bout of surprise at his arrival? Why were the lights off? The entire place was quiet, save for the ambient city noise coming from the outside.

He walked farther into the apartment and spotted a shaking ball in the corner of the kitchen.

“Ryan?” Shane softly called out.

Ryan didn’t reply. Shane quietly walked towards him and gently rubbed his back. Ryan jumped at the sudden touch.

“No!” Ryan shouted, batting away the hand, “Get away from me!”

“Hey, it’s okay, Ryan,” Shane reassured the frightened man, “It’s just me, Shane. You’re safe.”

Ryan slowly let his defence down, a bit calmer than before. He felt more at ease knowing that Shane was with him.

“Shane? Why are you here?” he asked, shocked that he was here, “I thought you were mad at me.”

“I came here to apologize,” Shane answered guiltily, “I didn’t mean to so rude to you last night. I told you to leave without telling you why. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Shane. I forgive you.”

“You sure? I was kinda a dick though,” Shane joked.

“Kinda? You absolutely were,” Ryan fired back.

It’s seemed like Ryan was back to his normal self, Shane noted. But he still didn’t know what happened before he came over.

“Ryan, what happened earlier?” he asked.

The human started fidgeting, tugging at the ends of his jeans.

“I was going out for lunch, and after that, I stopped at a park. I got to talk to a nice guy who had a dog. I played with it for a bit and then went home. When I was walking back, I noticed someone following it. It turned out to be a demon. It followed me back here and was about to kill me.”

Shane’s expression tightened.

“What did it do? Where you hurt?” he asked.

Ryan shook his head, “No, but it choked me.”

Shane gently tilted his head to the side and examined his neck. There was a black mark around his neck, but it didn’t look like a bruise. He gently followed the mark with his finger.

Ryan shivered at the light touch. He blushed at the closeness of the two. He looked at Shane while the demon was examining his injuries. Ryan never got the chance to get a good look at him. Even in the dark, he could see the soft color of his hair. Those eyes of his that’d normally be hauntingly yellow and red was now warm brown. Shane’s entire presence gave him a sense of ease and safety. Ryan didn’t know why, but he just relished in the moment.

“Hey, Shane,” he said tiredly.

“Yeah?”

“Tell me about your kingdom...”

Shane chuckled, “If you like, yeah.”

“Mhm.”

He sat himself down beside Ryan and began.

“The royal palace has this nice garden. I loved staying out there as a child. It made me feel so free. My parents would join me and plant flowers. They were the best kind of parents I could’ve wanted. Me and my brother would spend so much time outside swinging on swings that hang from this magical ancient tree...”

Shane trailed off as he noticed a weight on his left shoulder. He turned his head to the side and saw Ryan fast asleep. He smiled dearly, heart warming up at how adorable the human looked at the moment.

He gently lifted Ryan’s head of his shoulder, leaning it against the closet door. He got up and crouched down to lift the man up into his arms and headed to his room. Ryan was laid on his bed. Shane waved his hand over him and put Ryan into more comfortable clothes to sleep him. He lifted the blanket onto him, making sure to cover Ryan thoroughly.

He stepped back to look at the sleeping man one last time before conjuring a portal back to his house.

* * *

Back in his own room, Shane dragged the rug off the trap door with his foot. He opened the door up and descended the stairs. He snapped his fingers and the lights turned on, revealed an office.

He sat down at his desk and picked up a fountain pen and began writing in the open journal.

_My dearest Sara,_

_It has been too long since you’ve been gone. My heart still longs for you. I wish for your warmth, your smiles, your kisses, your love. Everything._

_Not a day goes by without a heartache._

_Please come back. I’ll be forever waiting._

_-March 5th_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @ turtleangel94  
> wink wonk ;)  
> i enjoy reading your comments  
> it's a semi slow burn fic.  
> no. ryan wont be okay. demons are going after him. shane isnt going to always be there to protect him, and ryan's too stubborn to ask for help.  
> dont worry. softer moments will come.


	6. Interlude Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We go to a new place.  
> Ryan misses Shane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No more uploading weekly.  
> I get too excited whenever I finish writing a new chapter.

_“Shane...” the woman called out._

_“Shhh, it’s okay,” Shane tried to calm his fiancée, “You’re going to be alright.”_

_“Promise?”_

_He tried to hold in his tears, “Promise.”_

_She knew that it wasn’t possible. He, too, knew that. But just the word gave the couple a small sliver of hope._

_The demon holding down the woman tightened its grip on her neck. Tears ran down her cheek as she tried to helplessly pry away the hands from her. Shane watched in guilt and terror but couldn’t do anything. He was held back by two demon guards._

_“Let me go!” he growled._

_They didn’t budge._

_“Why are you doing this? I am your ruler!”_

_A figure stepped out from the back and walked in front of Shane._

_“You’re too soft to be a leader of out kind. You’ve fallen for this mortal!” it said._

_“Love doesn’t make you weak,” Shane spat out, “You’re just afraid of what you’ve never experienced!”_

_“Shut up.”_

_There was sudden stinging pain on his cheek, his head turned to the side._

_“Too long have we put up with your foolishness. This human has made you weak! We can fix everything if we get rid of her.”_

_“No!” Shane screamed, “Get away from her, or you’ll regret it!”_

_“Bring this doll house to ruins and get rid of the human,” the demon ordered._

_“Shane...” the woman called out, “I’m sorry.”_

_“No!”_

_Sara!_

Shane jolted awake.

It was just a nightmare. It was all in the past.

He looked around the room. He was at home. It was alright. He was fine.

He glanced at his watch and saw that it was past midnight. Shane wondered how Ryan was doing. The human was pretty shook over whatever happened to him late afternoon.

But first, he had something to do.

* * *

“You’re not allowed here.”

Shane waved a hand. Magic curled around the two guards’ throats, choking them. He pinned them

“Bitch, as if,” Shane scoffed.

He kicked the black iron gates open and strolled right into the front courts of the palace. Before he could even knock on the grand doors, it opened.

Behind the doors sat an elegant woman dressed in a blood red dress with a royal cape. She sipped her alcohol in a shiny crystal cup.

“My boy...” she greeted with a fake smile, “Welcome home.”

Shane rolled his eyes.

“I’m not your boy, Rachel,” Shane said.

Rachel glared at the younger demon.

“Is that how you talk to the person who took you in and raised you? I thought I taught you better, Alexander,” she seethed.

“The person that raised me is my mother. She fucking dead,” Shane growled, “Don’t call me that. That’s not my name.”

“Why are you here, Alexander? You’re no longer allowed here. You know that.”

Shane walked up the the foot of the stairs to the throne. Two guards immediately took hold of his arms and pushed him down to the ground. He looked up at his aunt with hard eyes. She smirked at the low position, forced to kneel to her.

“Did you send those demons to the surface?” he asked.

“I don’t know what you mean,” she reigned innocence.

“Fuck off, you sent you demons to my house.”

“I was worried about you, Alexander. You haven’t visited your dear, lonely aunt for almost a century,” Rachel pouted.

Shane flipped her off and laughed darkly.

“Cut that shit. You’re the one that banished me when you saw no use for me.”

“I only did what was best for you.”

“Fucking liar!” he shouted.

He tried to break away from the restraint of the guards but failed. He was pushed farther down; his face was now pressed against the marble floor.

“You did what was best for yourself. You took away my family! My mother and Sara are gone because of you!”

Heels clacked as Rachel descended the stairs. She stopped in front of Shane.

“Listen, you bastard,” she said, “This is my kingdom. This crown will never be yours.”

“Take it all. Take the name, the crown, the throne, but you’ll never take the kingdom’s he-”

Shane was stopped by a foot grinding down on his cheek. He gritted his teeth to suppress a pained moan.

“The kingdom’s heart will be mine once I find it.”

“Never,” Shane spat.

The feet pressed down harder.

“Fuck!”

“Now be a good boy, and tell me where your whore mother hid it,” his aunt demanded.

Shane slammed both his hands on the ground and sparks pulsed through the surface. The magical shockwave knocked the guards off their feet. He was finally free. He walked up to Rachel, hands ready with magic crackling.

He made a move, going for her throat.

“Guh!”

He looked down and saw a spear stabbed into his side. Shane fell to the ground. He held his side to stop the bleeding.

Rachel turned around and walked back up to the throne.

“Leonard, Max,” she crooked a finger to tell them to come to her.

“Yes, Satan?” they asked as the knelt down.

“Throw him out. I don’t want to smell the stench of someone that reeks of humans.”

“Where?”

“Hm,” she pondered, “The East Desert sounds fitting...”

“Understood.”

They marched up to Shane and and dragging him by the arms out the palace.

Shane was starting to lose his focus. It was probably due to blood loss. He didn’t have a chance to heal himself.

The last thing he saw was the iron gates slamming closed as he was taken away to another place.

Darkness consumed him

* * *

It’s been a week since Ryan saw Shane.

He couldn’t really recall what happened after he spoke to Shane that night. All he could remember what him telling him something about his homeland. Something about his mom and palace. It sucked that he couldn’t remember.

Shane was an interesting person, and he wanted to know more about him

So far there hasn’t be huge encounters with demons. Ryan would mostly see flashes of orange eyes, but they never came near, which was fine by him. Please stay away.

Ryan was currently out with his editor for dinner to discuss business stuff. He really didn’t want to be lectured about what he should be writing, but it was work.

“So, Ryan. I noticed your readers want you to write more about your demon encounter,” said Brent.

“But each issue is supposed to be different,” said Ryan.

He watched his friend slash editor become animated.

“Listen, it’s a good move to take.”

“What do you mean?”

“Give the readers what they want, and in turn, they’ll bring more audience to you. You can just make shit up, and they’ll believe it!”

Ryan shook his head in bewilderment.

“I’m not going to lie to my fans about what happened. It really did happen,” he said, trying to hold in his annoyance.

Arguments between him and Brent were rare, but this was irking him.

“Ghosts don’t exist, Ryan,” he sighed.

Ryan closed his eyes and counted to ten to suppress his bubbling anger.

“Can we not talking about this and just eat?” he asked to change the subject, “Food is getting cold.”

Brent sighed, “Fine, but think about this though.”

They ate in silence. It was a tense meal, and Ryan couldn’t wait to get back home.

* * *

He thought about it. He was still unsure whether he should reveal that much about demons. Do they even want to be known by humans? He should talk to Shane, but he hasn’t seen him since that night. Ryan would go back to his house to see of he was there, but he really didn’t want to bump into more demons. He shivered at the mere thought of seeing one again.

It came to his mind that he really had no way to contact Shane. He guessed he had to just sit and wait for the demon to come to him.

Ryan refocused on writing responses to comments from his readers. He had been neglecting writing about an unsolved mystery. He was unsure what he wanted to write about. He already did a few on dolls, and he didn’t want to write about demons just yet.

He sighed decided to ultimately listen to Brent.

He typed into his search engine: _what is hell like_

Many results had just fictional ideas on Hell, but none really matched the short description he got from Shane. Most said that Hell was constantly on fire and in chaos. From what he remembered, Shane said his kingdom had a beautiful garden. He made Hell to be a pleasant place that was peaceful, so why did everyone think the exact opposite?

He then looked up: _royal family of hell_

Ryan found a PDF file of scans of a worn journal. He downloaded it and opened it. Scrolling quickly through it, it was only a small portion of the diary. Ryan began at the top, reading the date.

_1878_

Damn, it was hella ancient.

He read the entry. The writing was sloppy and faded but readable.

 

_April 9_

_Mother,_

_I have some pleasant news for you. I’ve recently met a lovely lady. We have much in common, and we got along fair. She is unlike anyone I’ve met!_

_She’s radiant as the morning sun. She’s fierce, standing for herself. I want to get to know her more. She’s a mystery to me, waiting to be solved._

_-Alexander_

 

_April 16_

_Mother,_

_She laughed at my jokes. I told her the exact one you said father said to you when you two first met. She loved it._

_Her laughs were like bells. She brings so much happiness into my life. I haven’t like this since you’ve been gone. I miss you._

_-Alexander_

 

_April 30_

_Mother,_

_She said she had to go out of town for a week. Her brother fell ill, and she needs to take care of him. I miss her already even though it’s been two days since she’s been away._

_Days seem darker without my sun. Is this how you felt when father had to leave every night?_

_-Alexander_

 

_May 5_

_Mother,_

_Great news! She came back! Her brother is doing well._

_My heart beats faster whenever I’m with her. Mother, I think I love this woman. What do I do?_

_-Alexander_

 

_May 7_

_Mother,_

_I’ve finally worked up the nerves to tell her how I feel. She said that it’d be lovely. I can’t wait._

_-Alexander_

 

Ryan paused his reading.

So it was someone’s diary of their life. Whoever this Alexander dude was must’ve had a nice life.

Wait.

So what if this guy was part of the royal family... Does that mean that he was related to Shane?

He had so many questions he wanted to ask him.

What happened to this lady that Alexander fell in love with? She was a human, so she must’ve died. Did Shane know her?

Ryan really wanted to see Shane again.

* * *

Water was poured on him.

Shane jolted awake from the sudden coldness. He moved his hand to push away his hair from his eyes but found that he couldn’t. His hands and feet were chained to the side of the dungeon wall. He struggled to get free, but the metal only dug more into his sore skin. He looked up and saw the guard smirking at his current situation.

“The fuck you looking at?” Shane asked.

The guard huffed and went back out the cell and slammed the door.

Shane slowly struggled to get up using the wall to steady himself. He limped to the door but his chains only allowed him to walk halfway across the cell.

“You’re not going anywhere, you rat,” the guard said.

The other guard jabbed her spear at Shane’s open wound. Shane felt to the ground holding his side.

“Stay down.”


	7. Issue No. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New issue of Unsolved Mysteries.  
> How will Shane get out of prison?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't want to bullshit this fic, so I actually do research when writing Ryan's stuff. lol  
> I think I do too much.

_ Hello and welcome to another issue of The Unsolved Supernatural. The column where we look at paranormal and mysterious occurrences around the world.  _

_ This week’s issue: we’re going to be discussing a haunted forest that goes by the name of Old House Woods. _

_ Located in Diggs, Virginia. The county where the woods resides in, Mathews County, was a rumored place full of pirates. It also a thriving port around of time of the Revolutionary War and Civil War. In the 1600s, it was a place for pirates to hide their treasures. The place was full of bandits. Ships would come and go. Throughout the years, there have been sightings of phantoms ships with pirate. At one point in time, during the late 1700s to the mid 1800s, it was said that people that walked into the forest would never be seen again. I would like to add that it was also a supposed portal to another dimension.  _

_ Skeleton remains have also been found in this forest. Jesse Hudgins, a resident in Mathews County, have reported seeing a skeleton wearing knight’s armour carrying a lantern. Upon closer inspection, Hudgins noticed more ghostly apparitions, some carrying shovels and weapons. Many that heard his story thought it was just a tall tale, none believed him. But years down the road after Hudgins told his story, a Virginian man would come to encounter what might be the same ghost. The man said that he saw a skeletal figure dressed in armour and holding a light while he stopped by the side of the forest due to car troubles. There has also been sights of ghost horses and cows, funny enough. _

_ Let’s go inside Old House Woods. There is a path that’s lit by lanterns that’s haunted. It leads deep into the the forest. There’s a women that appears from the hazy mist that covers the area. If you run, she will follow after you, but if you turn around, she will disappear. She leaves a scent of roses behind. People that have gone inside the forest and left with an unsettling feeling. _

_ Is Old House Woods haunted with its past? Do ghosts loom the forest floor? Do these pirates’ treasure exist? Are the ghosts wandering around the forest looking for their treasures they’ve left behind when they died? Is this place a portal to another dimension?  _

_ Let me know your thoughts on this issue at cct@unsolvedparanormal.com or C.C. Tinsley PO BOX 1462 X, YZ XXXXX-XXXX _

_ Answering readers’ questions from the last issue of Unsolved: _

**_Harold E._ ** _ \- Crap, man! I was dumb enough to read the paper in the dark. I like reading your stories to my children as a bedtime story (yeah I know), and this time they were scared. They asked my husband and I if their stuffed animals would come alive. They now need me to check if their teddy bears are alive every night. _

_ Response- Thank you for sharing your children’s reactions. I do have a fear of mannequins. I don’t like thinking about the possibility of dolls and toys coming to life. Please stay put in that spot. _

**_Alma G.-_ ** _ I actually went to the Fort East Martello Museum during the summer. It was kinda creepy seeing all those letters to Robert. I chickened out from taking a picture of the doll though. I don’t want anything haunting me when I leave. Would you do it Ryan? I feel like you would lol. _

_ Response- That’s amazing! I would like to visit one day. And to answer your question, I would take a video of Robert. I’d make sure to ask for permission because I’m a very careful person when it comes to the paranormal. With recent events in my life, I don’t want to put myself into more danger. _

**_Keith V._ ** _ \- Do you think the Otto family would’ve treated their servants better if they knew that one of them knew black magic? _

_ Response- I think they would’ve treated them the same way. They were skeptic on Gene’s stories on Robert’s hauntings. Who knows? Maybe the parents would’ve stayed away from the servants due to fear. _

**_Ida L_ ** _ \- What would you do if you owned a haunted doll, C.C.? Would you try to exorcise it? I would burn the doll if it was me. _

_ Response- I have two responses to that. One: yes, I’d exorcise it. Two: I’d hand it over to paranormal experts to study. _

 

_ This concludes this week’s issue of The Unsolved Supernatural. Thank you for reading and supporting my work. _

_ -C.C. Tinsley _

 

Brent read over the final draft of the newest issue Ryan submitted to him. He waited patiently, sitting in front of the editor as he read the work.

Ryan shook his leg as he waited for Brent’s review of it.

“What do you think?” he asked him.

“I thought you were going to write a follow up about your demon encounter.”

“I’m still thinking about it.”

Brent eyed his friend for a moment. He pushed the file back to Ryan.

“It’s fine for publishing, but you should really consider what I said the other day,” he send sternly.

“I know,” sighed Ryan.

“I’ll see you next week then,” Brent dismissed.

“Yeah.”

Ryan grabbed the file and walked out the room.

* * *

 

It’s been two weeks. No sign of Shane. Where was he?

Ryan was starting to miss him.

He downed a sad beer, sitting in his apartment in silence. The clock above the TV ticked. He stared out the window of his room.

Ryan squinted when he noticed something on the window glass. He got up from his desk and walked to it. He ran his hand over the mark but couldn’t feel anything from the inside. He stepped back a bit to examine what was wrong.

“Y O U,” he spelled out.

_ YOU _

His eyes widened. He did hear some scratching noise that night. He thought it was just the tree branches scraping against his window, but someone must’ve done this.

Was it a demon? Could it have a person that decided to scratch that into his window? But Ryan lived on the fifth floor of this apartment complex. There was no way someone would’ve gotten all the way to his floor to do that.

Then it was probably a demon.

Where was Shane when Ryan needed him the most!?

* * *

 

Shane screamed as the blade cut at his arm. He tried to back away, but the two guards held him in place.

“Tell us where the heart stone is,” demanded the guard in charge of Shane’s torture.

“Never.”

The guard crouched down to Shane’s eye level and grabbed his face.

“Listen, you don’t have many options here,” the guard hissed, “If you tell us where the stone is, maybe Satan will let you off easy and let you die in her hands. At least your death won’t be as pathetic as dying in the East Deserts.”

“Fuck you.”

The guard stabbed her sword into Shane’s leg. The demon screamed in pain again. 

A servant knocked on the door to get the guards attention.

“The prisoner’s meal.”

One of the guards grabbed the vial while the other unshackled one of Shane’s arms. The guard carelessly tossed the bottle at him. He tried to catch it with a shaky hand without dropping it.

“Eat up.”

Shane eyed the vial in his hand. He looked at it, hesitating on whether he should consume it.

“How do I know it’s not a corrupted soul? How do I know Rachel isn’t trying to control me with this?” he asked the guards.

The guards said nothing and turned around to leave Shane himself.

As soon as the footsteps went from feint to silent, the servant walked up to Shane.

“My king, are you alright?” asked the servant.

Shane eyed the man in front of his suspiciously. 

“Who are you?” he asked the demon.

“I am Kyle. I was sent by your father to come to help you.”

“My father?” Shane shot up, “Where is he? How is he doing?”

Kyle put a finger to his lips to tell Shane to be quiet in fear of the guards coming back.

“Now is not the time and place to talk about your father. He is doing well just so you know.”

The servant fished out the key from his vest pocket and opened the prison door. He made his way to the left shackle.

“Quick, my king. We must be quick to leave,” Kyle said, lending a hand to Shane.

They both ran out of the prison building and out into the desert. Along the way to a safe place to open a portal, Shane almost collapse due to the injuries he sustained during the torture. Kyle helped steady him as he made the portal.

As soon as the portal opened, they stepped through it. The other side was Shane’s home.

They were safe at last.

* * *

 

Ryan decided that the only place to calm his nerves was to go to Shane’s. Sure, there might’ve been a demon roaming around his house, and demons were probably going after his ass, but whatever. Since Shane never bothered to visit him in two week, he could safely assume that the demon wasn’t home either. 

He walked right in and directly down the hallway. The sun was starting to set later in the day, so the lack of working lights didn’t hinder his vision that much.

There was a shuffle and groan that sounded like it came from Shane’s room. Ryan quietly made his way down to the room. He slowly opened the door and saw something moving. Upon closer look, he saw the person lay what looked to be Shane on the bed. He open the door fully.

“What are you doing with Shane!?” he shouted at the person currently holding the demon.

The person slowly finished putting down and held his hands up in the air to show Ryan that he wasn’t a threat to him.

“Relax, human,” the man said, “I’m Kyle, a helper of my king.”

“‘My king’? Hold up. You mean you’re a demon?”

“Yes.”

Ryan finally looked at Shane. He noticed cuts and bruises all over him. Dried blood crusted over the cuts. His wrists’ skin was irritated due to the tugging on the binds.

“What happened to Shane?” he asked.

“He was imprisoned by the current Satan of Hell.”

“Why would he go down there? Wait. Isn’t Shane the ruler of Hell?”

Kyle shook his head, “Sadly, no. Queen Rachel has banished Shane from the kingdom for eternity. He wasn’t to go back, but he had to make sure you were safe.”

“Why? Why is he trying to protect me?” 

“He values you.”

Ryan blinked his eyes, confused.

“Ryan?” Shane said softly and tried to lift his weak hand.

Ryan went up to Shane and held his hand.

“Hey, Shane,” he greeted, “How are you doing?”

“Like how sashimi’d animals feel like,” he joked.

“Not funny,” Ryan frowned and lightly tapped Shane’s head, “You shouldn’t be joking. You’re hurt, and you really need rest.”

Ryan made a move to step away and let Kyle attend to the demon’s injuries, but Shane wouldn’t let go of his hands.

“Stay,” Shane whispered, “Please.”

Kyle nodded at Ryan, encouraging him.

“Okay.”

He sat in the chair in the corner of the room and watched Kyle wipe the dried blood from the cuts and wrap them up.

Ryan wasn’t sure when he nodded off but he fell asleep. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @ turtleangel94
> 
> You'll have to wait and see why the diary is online. I'm glad you picked up on the corgi. They make nice hellhounds.


	8. Interlude Part 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updated for almost a week. I was busy with projects, and it's nearing the end of the semester.  
> Here's a short chapter.  
> I promise I won't keep you guys waiting so long for future chapters.

The sound of murmured voices woke Ryan up. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and blinked. While his eyes were adjusting, he could vaguely make out Kyle standing by Shane, who was still in bed, and checking up on his condition.

Ryan raised his arms high and stretched.

“Morning, Mr. Bergara,” the demon greeted.

“Oh, you’re still here? Morning.”

“My king has recovered well, but he’s not fully back to a proper state without having someone watching over him.”

Ryan nodded.

“I see...”

“Alas, I have other duties to attend to. I’m afraid I can’t always be here watching him. Do you think you can be here in place of me?”

Ryan looked at Shane. The demon looked a lot less pale and on the verge of death. He was glad that Shane was recovering. Ryan would like to think of the guy as a friend. Maybe?

“Yeah, I can do that.”

“Thank you very much, Mr. Bergara.”

Ryan shook his head, “No need. You can call me ‘Ryan’. No need for formalities.”

Kyle opened a portal. Ryan watched in enchantment. The purple swirling of the portal was beautiful.

“See ya,” Ryan bid to the demon before he stepped through it and was gone.

He turned back to Shane. The demon was still sleeping. Ryan wondered. How long has it been since Shane had eaten? Do demons even eat? What do they eat anyways?

He thought it’s be best if he woke Shane up to make sure he had some food inside him.

Ryan gently shook the demon. He didn’t want to startle him.

“Hey, Shane,” he called softly, “Wake up. You gotta eat.”

Shane mumbled something that Ryan couldn’t make out. The man slowly open his eyes, blinking awake. 

“Oh, good. You’re awa-”

Ryan found himself suddenly on the bed. Shane was on top of him, pinning him down. Said man had his eyes unveiled and was growling.

“Shane?”

Shane brought a hand to the human’s throat. In a moment of panic, Ryan brought a knee up against Shane’s abdomen. He waited for the man on top to double down in pain before he scrambled off the bed and away from danger.

Ryan watched from the far side of the room. Shane pushed himself up after falling onto the bed. He looked around with bewildered eyes.

“Ryan?”

“You’re back!” Ryan sighed in relief.

“When did I get here? Where’s Kyle? What are you doing here?” Shane spilled all at once.

The human walked back to the bedside. It was safe now that Shane wasn’t going full-on demon on him.

“Kyle brought you here last night. He just left actually. Said he has stuff to do, so yeah.”

“Oh...”

‘You okay?” Ryan asked.

Shane shrugged as he examined the bandages wrapped almost all around his body. He could still feel a dull ache, but it was bearable. What really hurt was his control over his mind. His mind was throbbing. He hadn’t fed in so long. At this point, it took almost everything of his will to keep himself under control.

“Shane?” Ryan asked, breaking the demon out of his thoughts.

“Ryan...” Shane said, “I need you to leave.”

“Wha- why? I promised Kyle to look after you while he was gone. I can’t leave you like this! “You’re still hurt,” Ryan countered.

Shane held his head tight in his hands. He was trying to will away the hunger long enough to convince Ryan to leave.

“Ryan, I’m going to hurt you if you stay any longer.”

Ryan gently pried away Shane’s hands. He gasped when the demon looked up at him. Shane’s eyes were black and rimmed with red. 

“Your eyes... Why are they black? I thought they were supposed to be yellow.”

“Leave...”

The remaining bit of red vanished as black consumed everything. Ryan dropped his hold on Shane’s hands and started to back up out of caution.

Shane growled and lunged forward at the human. Ryan toppled over. Shane suddenly didn’t look so much like Shane anymore. The demon bared its sharp teeth at his throat. Ryan didn’t know what was wrong. What made Shane lose control over himself?

But then he remembered that he probably hadn’t eaten.

Do demons feed off of souls?

He felt a hand wander up his chest and stopped at his heart. It was beating fast as a hummingbird’s.

Maybe if he surrendered himself to Shane, he’ll be back to his normal self afterwards. Ryan closed his eyes tight and let Shane do whatever he needed to satiate his hunger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @turtleangel94 
> 
> The kingdom's heart stone is the key.  
> Shane would be equals with Rachel had it not been for her guards.


	9. Interlude Part 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have two more exams, and I'm free for the time being. Weeeeee

Ryan felt cold lips on his own. His eyes flew open, and he saw Shane’s closed.

Shane was kissing him. As much as Ryan was freaking out about it, he couldn’t do anything. He could feel himself getting lightheaded and weak.

\---

Shane felt his energy coming back. He didn’t who fed him, but he was glad. He opened his eyes. He immediately started to panic.

Who allowed Ryan to stay near him while he was hungry?

“Hey, Ryan!” Shane shouted, shaking the limp body of the human.

There was no response from him. Shane was beginning to panic. The lower the demon, the less soul energy it needs. However, Shane was a royal and a high ranking one, too. Ryan might not have been able to take his feeding.

He got off the bed while holding Ryan close. He laid him down and took a step back to access the damage he had done. The human was kinda pale, more pale than usual if that was a thing. Just how much of Ryan’s soul did he consume? It must’ve been enough to slow his heart. Shane could hear a slow, faint beating of Ryan’s heart. He had to do something before he would lose him.

Was it possible to return people’s soul back after consumption? He really only heard of tall tales, and he never believed in them because there wasn’t any proof. But he had to try.

There are two ways of consuming souls. One, kill the being and pull the soul out. Two, place a hand over the person or demon’s heart and kiss them, thus taking a bit of their soul.

Ryan wasn’t dead... yet. So he certain didn’t drain his soul the first way. 

Strange. Shane hadn’t kissed anyone on the lips in almost a century. He had closed himself off to feeling for anyone for so long. Ryan was an interesting person, much like his Sara. Thinking about the two, they are quite similar.

Shane shook himself out of his drowning thoughts and focused on Ryan. He leaned forward to press his lips against Ryan’s and placed his right hand on his slowing heart. He could feel a bit of his energy leaving him but not enough to make him completely weak. After a moment, Shane pulled back and saw color returning back to Ryan’s body. He let out a breath of relief. All was good.

He turned around and headed out the door. He should probably let the human rest and cover.

* * *

 

Ryan woke to the sun rising. He sat up and saw that he was in his room. Maybe Kyle or Shane brought him back to his apartment.

He tried to stand up but immediately felt woozy. He braced himself against the wall and slowly made his way to the bathroom.

When he looked in the mirror, he saw that he was a complete mess, worse than ever. His hair was a bird’s nest, and his eyes looked dead. Looking closely, the X on his neck was no longer there. He didn’t know how that happened, but good.

Ryan turned the water on and stuck his hand under the faucet as the water warmed up. He stepped inside the shower and closed his eyes.

* * *

 

He thought maybe Shane would come and visit or something, but no. It’s been two days, and the past was repeating itself. 

Ryan was growing annoyed. Why does that guy always abandon him? Is Shane going to come back all bloodied and battered again?

He slammed the spacebar of his poor laptop, and it froze a second in protest of that mistreatment. Ryan leaned back into the chair and took a sip of his sad, cold coffee. He stared at his email boredly and scrolled through the messages. He really wasn’t in the mood to write. He downed the last bit of his drink and packed up to leave.

He walked to the park and took a seat on the bench. He saw a familiar black dog making her way to him. Ryan smiled and opened his arms to welcome the dog.

It leaped into his arms and began giving kisses. Ryan laughed in joy from the love and attention.

“Hey. Long time no see,” Rick greated.

Ryan looked up and and nodded.

“I’ve been busy.”

The two sat there in silence, not really needed to talk. Ryan appreciated that.

Suddenly, the sound of a phone ringing was heard. Rick excused himself while he answered the call. Ryan nodded and turned his attention to the dog. She really loved giving kisses.

“-ere besides me. No, subject is not with anyone.”

Ryan didn’t know the context of the conversation Rick was having over the phone, but he was curious. He strained his ears to try to pick up more of it.

“Yes, I will. I bring him to you right now.”

Rick looked over at Ryan with an odd look. Ryan began to feel uneasy.

“No, I won’t fail you. Yes, Rachel.”

The man pocketed his phone.

“Uh, I just remembered I had something to do for work. I gotta go now,” said Ryan.

Rick said nothing. Ryan got up and began walking towards the exit of the park.

He was about to turn the corner when he saw the corgi running up to him.

“Hey,” he greeted, “You shouldn’t run out without your owner.”

The corgi barked.

Ryan saw a shadow coming up to him. He looked up and saw Rick.

“Wha-”

Black pounced on top of him. Ryan realized it was a huge dog. It’s eyes were red.

“Hold him down, Hades,” ordered Rick.

The man bent down and covered Ryan’s eyes.

Darkness consumed him.


	10. Interlude Part 7- Shane

His mother and father came from two different backgrounds. One had it all while the other struggled in life. His father was a human before he was sent to Hell. He was just a regular, low-level demon when he met his mother. She just so happened to sneak into the courtroom when he was being assigned a position. 

From all the bedtime stories Shane would ask him mother to tell him, he stitched together an image of what his father was like before he died. He father was a lanky fellow and awkward. He was able to hold a short conversation with his mother though.

They fell in love, but their love was forbidden. There was a stigma against associating oneself with lower demons. But his parents didn’t care. They stole kiss in empty hallways as they passed each other. Midnight rendezvous under the huge tree in the palace garden. Nothing stopped them from loving.

But his mother was ripped away from his father. She was to be crowned ruler of Hell soon, and her sister couldn’t allow weak power into the lineage. Rachel found a way to banish his father out of the kingdom. His mother had told him that his aunt had framed him for the poisoning of souls in Hell. 

Shane never saw his father. He wasn’t there for him during his childhood because Rachel had kicked him out. She was too late with his mother as she was already pregnant with his child. Shane would watch as the years went on, and his mother grew weaker and weaker. He didn’t know why she was so weak.

Shortly after she passed away, he found out that Rachel had been scheming things behind everyone’s backs all along. He vowed to take her down for his parents.

* * *

 

Sara was as radiant as his mother. Her laughter was like soft wind chimes. Everything about her was beautiful. 

Shane had gone to the surface to seek safety from Rachel. She had caught on to his plans of dethroning her, so she kicked him out of Hell. He had been on the surface all by himself for almost a hundred years until he had accidentally bumped into Sara.

It wasn’t instant love at first sight, but it was close. There was something about her that Shane loved. Shane was a mush when in her presence. Her energetic personality was contagious. It never failed to brighten his day no matter how bad it was. Sara made him forget about his worries. It was a dream come true to be with her even if they were just friends. Luckily, Sara felt the same. If being and loving Sara felt like this, it was probably the closest he’d ever been to Heaven. He’d gladly die ten times over to fell that feeling forever.

He’s gladly give his life up if it meant that his dear Sara could live.

* * *

 

Shane felt guilty for feeding off of Ryan. He didn’t mean to; he wasn’t himself. He almost lost his mind that day. It had been so long since he lost it to hunger. Shane made sure he fed enough to keep his mind sane, but he wasn’t able to with Rachel.   
Ugh. He didn’t want to think about that witch.

Ryan was nothing like Sara, but Shane didn’t know why he was pulled towards that human. Upon first glance, he looked like a wimpy person that got scared easily and would believe just about anything regarding the supernatural. Shane had a few chuckles when teasing him at first. It was adorable to see him all flustered. 

Thinking back to the first time he had saw him, he remember brown eyes staring at him. Like every human encountering a demon for the first time, Ryan had a scared look on his face, but his eyes were full of curiosity. Never had Shane encountered that kind of reaction before. It really stuck on his mind for a while.

Then he found out that he did research on the paranormal. Ryan soon became a thing of interest for him. He’d follow him around in the shadows to observe him. 

Shane made a promise to love his partners heart and soul, not matter what they were. Could Ryan be  _ that _ ? He certainly felt something for him, but all the interactions between them haven’t been exactly the best. So far, all Shane being with the human has caused the both of the trouble. Demons of Rachel have been going after Ryan because of him. He couldn’t always be by his side to protect him. He’d just hurt him more than love.

Maybe if he never met Ryan, everything would’ve turned out better. Perhaps if he spent some time away from Ryan, they’d forget each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @ turtleangel94 
> 
> Shane, out of guilt, sent Ryan back to his apartment. Shane's fine. Ryan, not so much.


	11. Interlude Part 8- Shane Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the waiting. I've been on break for a few weeks, and I had a block.  
> I also have a summer online class I'm taking rn. Hopefully, that'll kick me back on schedule.  
> I swear, without a schedule, I can't do anything.
> 
> I'm so sorry for the long wait. I'm going to try to do weekly updates.

“Hey, Kyle?”

“Yes?”

“Did I do the right thing?”

“Only your heart knows.”

“Bullshit.”

“Whatever you say.”

Shane flopped on the worn bed and stared up at the ceiling. He was currently staying at Kyle’s place on the surface. He wanted to avoid bumping into Ryan. After all the damage he had caused for the human, he was afraid to make things worse. He really didn’t want to lose someone he held dear.

“Have you fed yet?” asked Kyle.

Shane flinched at the words and met his friend’s eyes for a short second and quickly looked away in shame.

Kyle studied his king’s reaction.

“Surely you didn’t do...”

“Well, I’m sorry,” Shane answered his suspicion with a hard tone.

“How did that happen?”

“Look, I lost control,” he huffed, “I told him to get away. He must’ve stayed. Ugh.”

“What happened afterwards? Is Ryan fine?”

“Now that I’m not near him, yeah.”

Kyle sighed.   
He saw how close Shane was to Ryan. There was this budding bond between them, something that would grow to be strong over time. It was just like what Shane had with Sara. It actually broke his heart so see Shane in anguish separated from Ryan, but that was the cost. Human and demon relationships were always fragile. He knew that Shane knew that. It had probably been pushed into the back of his mind.

“Do you intend on mending your friendship in the future?” he asked.

Kyle didn’t need to turn around from organizing his desk to know that the other demon made a face and shrugged.

“As if there was a relationship that’d last for us...” Shane mumbled under his breath.

“Shane...”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” he interrupted.

“Fine. We won’t.”

“Do you have any updates on Rachel? Heard you’ve been lurking around the castle.”

“Seems that she is still looking for the heart stone. She has pulled her servants away from the surface yesterday. There hasn’t been sighting of them around Ryan’s apartment.”

“Good,” nodded Shane, “I made the right choice leaving him.”

Deep down, both of them knew it wasn’t.

“Shane, do you think they’re going to attack Ryan after one of them find out you’re not there to protect from harm?”

“Me being near him bring harm more than protection.”   
“Let’s hope you’re right,” Kyle sighed.

Shane rolled to his side, facing the wall with the window. The sun was starting to set. The time was around 5. Spring was coming finally.

Kyle stared at the back of his lord. He could see the tenseness of Shane’s body. The unrest was getting to him. He prayed to find a way to deal with Rachel and her followers so Shane could reconcile with Ryan.


	12. Interlude Part 9- Rachel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys!  
> I'm trying my best to write whilst juggling a class. I hope you don't mind that the chapters have been short. I really want to write 2k words for each chapter, but it's really hard for me to come up with the plot.  
> I swear, I'd think about how I want the story to go, but when I actually write it, it goes in a different direction.

“Any updates on my bastard nephew?”

“Only that he has been off the grid since escaping,” said one of the guards.

Rachel slammed her fist on the arm rest of her throne.

“That boy...”

“Shall we go hunt him down and bring him back to you, Satan?” asked a guard.

She sighed in frustration, “No, it’s fine. If I can’t control him by himself, I’ll just use another way to do that.”

There was a evil glint in her eyes as she plotted Shane’s eminent demise. This time, she would make sure that Shane will completely bow down to her. After all, people always sacrifice everything for love.

Rachel snapped her fingers and beckoned the rest of her guards over to her.

“You lot,” she pointed to the group on the left of the room, “I want you to keep looking for my nephew. Don’t come back until you have brought him back. Make sure to send someone to give me weekly reports on your status.”

“Yes, Satan.”

“And you. I want you to secure the perimeter around the castle. Don’t let anyone in or out the gates unless they are our people. Got it?”

The second group nodded and walked out the room, heading outside.

“Finally, I want you to go to the surface and bring me back that Bergara boy that Shane is so obsessed with.”

“Yes.”

Rachel smiled darkly as she rested back on her throne. Nothing could stop her from getting what she wanted. She’d give everything, no matter how many lives it took.

“Nora?” she called out.

A figure walked out from the corner of the room, away from shadows. The demon was covered in a deep blue cloak with the hood pulled over the head. The only thing seen peeking out was the mouth. 

The demon made its way to the foot of Rachel’s throne. Hands shakingly lifted up the hood to reveal the face.The hood dropped and revealed a sickeningly pale face with tired green eyes.

“How may I help you?” asked Nora.

Rachel leaned forward in her throne and spoke, “How would you like to have a reunion with your little prince you love so much?”

Nora gasped. It had been so long since she saw Shane. She was his caretaker assigned at age ten. She had watched over half of his life from a growing child to a magnificent prince that he was destined to be. However, Rachel ripped the boy away from his parents’ and her arms. It had almost been seventy-three years since she had last heard of any news about him.

“What?” Rachel asked, “Aren’t you happy you finally get to see him again? Aren’t I nice to you, Nora dear?”

“No,” Nora said, “Leave him alone!”

“It’s fine. He won’t be around long after he’s back down here. He’ll be dead soon.”

Nora collapsed onto her knees. She fell into a fetal position.

“I invite you to the beheading of Shane Madej,” Rachel continued, “You have permission to witness it up front and personal.”

Nora sobbed,”No...”

“Hmmm?” hummed Rachel, “Speak up, dear.”

“Don’t...”

Rachel got up from her throne and walked down three step to reach the weeping demon. She bent down and lifted Nora’s chin up with her index finger. Murky yellow eyes bored into sad blue eyes. 

“I can, however, spare your boy’s pathetic life if you tell me where the kingdom’s heart stone is,” said Rachel.

Nora quickly shoved Rachel’s hand away from here.

“Never!” she shouted.

Rachel stood up and looked down on the weak demon. She had no time and patience for objections anymore. She kicked the left shoulder of Nora and knocked her flat on the marble floor. Rachel lifted her left foot and stepped on the demon’s right hand. She smiled wickedly as she watched Nora wince in pain.

“Tell me,” she demanded, grinding her foot down harder.

“Agh!” screamed Nora in pain.

Rachel backed off from the cruelty for a moment. She had a feeling she couldn’t break the weakling that easily with physical pain.

“Ehn,” she called out to her personal servant.

Seconds later, a man walked in with a notepad and pen in hand. He was writing something down when he answered.

“Yes, Satan.” Ehn said, still writing away, not bothering to look up.

Rachel rolled her eyes at the sight of her servant. Whatever, he was always like that. Head in his work, no manners.

“Make sure she stays in the cellar downstairs,” she ordered.

Ehn just nodded. He waved a hand and magically opened the huge doors of the room. In walked two guards. Both grabbed an arm and hauled up Nora to her feet and held here there.

Rachel walked up to the demon and grabbed her throat with enough pressure to make it hard to breathe.

“I’ll give you one last chance to save you life. Tell me where the stone is,” Rachel said.

“It’s...” Nora rasped out.

Rachel smiled, finally getting her way. She loosened up the hold a little. Nora gasped for oxygen.

“It’s...”

Rachel tapped her foot impatiently.

“‘It’s’?”

“It’s up your ass.”

Rachel seethed.

“Get this old bitch out of my sight right this instance!” she ordered.

The guards dragged Nora away into the cellar with the rest of the prisoners held down there. 

The ruler walked out of the throne room and made her way to her bedroom. She slammed her door closed with excessive force and took the throw pillow from a chair and chucked it across the room.

She growled in annoyance.


	13. Interlude Part 10- Rachel Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter because I'm trying move past Rachel's part of the story.  
> Ofc I'll return to other POVs later on. Next is Ryan's again.

“Satan, you have a someone requesting for your presence,” said Ehn.

“I have no reason to greet a stranger,” replied Rachel, “Send them away.”

Ehn bowed and walked out of the room to talk to the waiting demon.

A moment later, the demon pushes past the servant and makes his way through the doors.

“Didn’t I tell you to leave?” asked Rachel.

The man only smiled.

“I came to bargain,” he said.

The ruler only raised a brow.

“And who am I possibly working with?” she asked.

“Only me.”

“Name.”

“Richard Goldsworth at your service,” said the demon, mockingly bowing down.

Rachel leaned forward in her throne.

“What do you have that I could possibly want?

“Well, I don’t have the heart stone,” Richard answered.

“Then I don’t have any use for you,” said Rachel, “Ehn?”

Ehn turned to the demon and held a hand out in the direction of the doorway.

Richard held a finger up to stop Ehn from putting his hands on him.

“But I do have something that is kinda close to that,” he countered.

“Tell me.”

“The boy your nephew loves.”

Rachel bursted out into laughter. Finally, her plan could move forward. There was no need to have her useless guards go to the surface to look for that human.

“Oh, dear,” sighed Rachel, “You seem to have proved your worth.”

“I would need my reward first,” demanded Richard.

“Very well. What do you want in return for that human?” she asked.

“To be the one to behead Shane Alexander Madej.”

“Done.”

Richard left promptly after, leaving the ruler happier than she was moments before.

“Ehn,” she called out.

“Yes?”

“A toast to our future victory, shall we?”

Ehn wordlessly walked up to Rachel and knelt down in front of her. She tipped his head to the side and brought a small knife across his neck. He winced from the familiar pain but allowed her to continue. She touched the drop of blood that was beading out from the small incision and licked it off her finger. She then pulled her servant closer, pushing the blade deeper into his neck. Dark blood oozed out quickly. Rachel licked her lips at the sight of her drink. She brought her mouth to the wound and sucked the blood.

Ehn knew that continuous draining of a demon’s blood was like draining the life force from them, but he was a devout servant of Rachel. He’d gladly die for her cause if it meant that he received more of her attention than any other demon did.

How he longed for her deathly kiss.


	14. Interlude Part 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to Ryan.

Pain bloom at his shins.

He was startled awake from someone kicking him. Ryan looked up and saw the familiar eyes of Rick.

“Rick? Wha- what’s going?” Ryan asked, utterly confused as to how he going into his current situation.

“Relax,” said Rick.

Ryan looked around and noticed he was in a cellar. He racked his brain for something that could make sense of everything. He faintly remembered seeing Rick’s dog before blacking out suddenly. 

Didn’t Rick show up right after?

“Did you... Did you just kidnap me?” asked Ryan, looking up at Rick with fear and budding anger.

“In return for something I’ve been longing to do.”

Rick yanked Ryan up to his legs with the chains around the human’s cuffed wrists. 

“Wait! Where are you taking me?”

Ryan protested by yanking the chains the opposite direction of wherever Rick was dragged him to.

“Let me go! I have nothing to do with your shit!” he shouted.

“Oh, you sure do,” said Rick.

The demon stayed silent while Ryan kept resisting. They stopped at a grand door that opened upon their arrival.

Ryan was shoved down to his knees. He hissed in pain when the hard marble floor made contact with his bones.

“Fuck,” he muttered.

“I see you’ve kept your word, Richard,” said a voice from in front of him.

“Duh.”

Ryan looked up and was met with a strong woman dressed as a royal. 

“I’m so sorry, Ryan,” said Rick, “Allow me to introduce you to Rachel, the ruler of Hell.”

Rachel only smiled, although it didn’t reach her eyes.

“What do I have to do with any of this?” Ryan asked.

Rachel knelt down by him. She brush her knuckles against his cheek softly. Ryan shivered.

“Hmm, I can see why Alexander has taken an interest in you. Adorable,” said Rachel.

“Alexander? Wait. Who?”

Rachel rolled her eyes and corrected herself. “Oh, dear. I totally forgot he goes by Shawn or something now.”

“Shane? He doesn’t even go by ‘Alexander’? The fuck are you talking about?”

“ _ Alexander _ was a rebellious child, and he still is. That nephew ran away after his mother died while also denying my ascendance to the throne,” Rachel explained.

“Listen, I don’t give a shit about your family drama,” said Ryan, pushing himself back up to his knees, “I have nothing to do with Shane. If he was interested in me, what would he be doing with a human anyways? Don’t like, demons hate humans?”

Rahel hummed, pretending to take in Ryan’s words. She then tsked.

“You are mistaken, human boy. Don’t you know that Alexander loved a human? What a fool though. He should know better than to mingle with those fragile things.”

The faint memory of that well-taken picture of Shane and a beautiful woman beside him came to Ryan’s mind. So that was Shane’s lover? Then why did Shane take an interest in him if he loved her? Where was she now? He was pretty sure that he never encountered any spirit that looked like that woman. 

“So you know.”

“If Shane loves that person then why did you say that Shane liked me?” asked Ryan slowly, trying to untangle this yarn ball of words that was suddenly thrown at him.

“ _ Loved _ not ‘loves’,” was all she gave.

The woman straighten up and went back to her throne.

“Now, enough with the talking,” she beckoned her servant over. “Ehn, find a way to let my nephew know that I have something important to him, and if he wants it back, he has to come to me to get it back.”

“Understood,” said Ehn, bowing.

The servant spoke in a hushed voice to the guards, and the guards nodded. One guard grabbed Ryan’s arm and yanked him up from the floor.

“Ow! What the fuck?” shouted Ryan.

He knew that these guards knew that he was way weaker than them, so he didn’t see why they had to be so rough with him. Just plain rude.

Now he was being dragged out of the room and to somewhere new. 

It turned out to be a small, dimly lit room. A one person bed was in the left corner of the room, and a splintering table was beside it.

“You will be staying here until Satan’s desires are fulfilled,” said Ehn.

Ehn walked out the room, the guards following suit. The door slammed shut, and the sound of a click indicated that it was locked.

“Hey, wait! You can’t just leave me here!” shouted Ryan.

He pounded at the door but got no response after a thirty seconds of trying. He resigned and walked to the bed. Ryan laid on the uncomfortable mattress, covering his eyes with his arms folded on top. He sighed.

“Is this how I die?” he asked softly.

Fucking Hell, this was a nightmare.


	15. Interlude Part 12- Shane Part 3

“Shit, shit, shit!” swore Shane.

He ducked behind a moving truck that was parked on the street.

“I lost him,” said a demon to its group.

“I saw him go that way,” said another.

“What are you waiting for?” hissed a third, “Go after him and bring him back to me!”

The sound of feet scrambling away in fear indicated that the guards were leaving. Shane slowly released that breath that he was holding. He peeked out from the corner of the vehicle. They were almost far enough. Shane slowly creeped out from behind and made his way into the tree area he was intending to before he got ambushed by Rachel’s henchmen. 

Fucking Hell. She’s relentless.

He trekked about ten feet into the woods and stopped at a tall tree barren without leaves. Carved into the wide trunk of the tree was a pentagram with a dagger stabbed through a snake. Shane closed his eyes.

Ears grew just a bit longer with pointed tips at the end. Nails were deep red like it had been painted over with the blood of demons. Eyes opened, and pupils were yellow and red.

Shane grabbed a dagger from his back pocket of his jeans. The familiar heavy feeling of death flooded through his soul’s core. He knew from stories from his mother that the weapon he currently held in his hands were used to kill the Madej family’s enemies.

And with this dagger, the dagger with a handle that had been engraved with a snake twisting around will be the one to end Rachel.

He pressed the sharp blade moderately hard enough to draw blood. He then placed the blood palm onto the pentagram. It started to glow red, the dim light pulsing on a beat similar to a live heart.

The pulsing got faster, and the light got brighter. It soon consumed Shane whole.

When he opened his eyes, he was back at Kyle’s place. They had carved portals into the trees in the neighborhood to make it easier to get to a safe place when being out and about. 

He spotted Kyle in the corner of the small living room. From the looks of it, Kyle was communicating through a blood basin.

“... -rous for you to,” said Kyle, “No, sir. I didn’t mean it that way. Yes, yes. I understand.”

Shane was getting a bit curious as to who Kyle was talking to. That guy would always nag about Shane trying to contact others because ‘it was dangerous, and enemies might be listening to them’. So Shane gave up after trying dozens of times to let Kyle talk to his father.

He sat down with his back against Kyle’s. As much as he wanted to know who he was talking to, he kept quiet and waited.

He felt Kyle’s body shift as the demon sighed.

“Please hold on a bit, sir,” he said in a resigned voice.

Shane fell on his back as Kyle moved away to face him. Kyle pushed the blood basin towards him.

“Here. You said you wanted to speak with your father,” Kyle said.

“You serious?” asked Shane.

His excited piqued, and he pushed himself up to sit properly. He placed his hands on either side of the basin and closed his eyes, concentrating on the blood link with his father.

‘Shane?” as voice resonated in Shane’s mind.

“Dad! Is that you?” he asked.

“My son. My, it has been so long,” said his father.

Tears started to prick from the corner of Shane’s closed eyes. He didn’t bother to wipe them.

“I missed you so much,” Shane said, voice cracking from being on the verge of crying.

“I missed you, too. I love you so much.”

“Me, too.”

He could no longer hold it in. He broke out into sobs.

“I, I thought you were...” Shane cried, not having the guts to say that word.   
“I’m here, Shane. You hear my voice, don’t you?”

Shane cried harder. It had been too long since he heard that familiar loving voice say his name.

He felt a hand rubbing his back in comfort.

“I just want to see you again,” he said.

“Shane, you need to end it now,” said Kyle.

“Once Rachel is dethroned and the war is over,” said his father.

“Love you.”

“Love you just as much.”

With that, Shane took the cup of water from where Kyle was once sitting and poured it into the basin. The communication was ended.

Pure blood is needed to open a way to contact someone, so if it’s not one hundred percent blood, it won’t work.

“I’ve spoke to your father about the state of Hell. It seems Rachel is holding someone prisoner. He couldn’t get a look at who it is, but he said that it’s a man, human.” said Kyle.

Shane sniffed and wiped away his tears. He got up and walked to the bathroom to clean himself up.

He looked into the mirror and saw a tired face. His eyes were a bit red from crying. He turned on the cold tap and ducked down to splash water at his face.

After he was done, he grabbed a small towel and wipe away the water. 

Shane made his way back to Kyle.

“Whatcha reading there?” he asked, noticing the piece of paper in his hands.

Kyle looked at him with worried eyes and wordlessly handed the letter to Shane.

Shane began to read.

_ Alexander, _

_ I have something precious of yours.  _

_ If you want it back, surrender yourself to me. You know me well enough by now to know that I don’t mess around. Heed my words, and your human pet can return to the surface with a few scratches and bruises. _

_ If you don’t, I have two ditches already dug for you and your lover boy to sleep in. _

 

_ -Your aunt. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry for the wait.  
> It was supposed to be up around July 7, but I got sick on the way back home from vacation. I'm all sniffles and coughs rn.
> 
> I only have an idea on how this fic is going, but it can always change. So I have a question: What do you think of the changing POVs on some chapters?
> 
> It's going to ultimately go back to Ryan and his writings in a few chapters.


	16. Interlude Part 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, but I'm trying to get to the part of the story I want to write.  
> Another update will come in a few days.

“Have you been claimed?” asked Rachel.

“No one owns me,” responded Ryan.

He lost count how many days he had been stuck in this dim room. 

Okay, that was a lie. He did count the sunrises, and it had been four days since he was kidnapped.

Ryan was taken care of just enough for his survival. A bucket of cold water to wipe himself down with an old rag and whatever the glop of food was in the bowl for his meals. There was a water tap by the door for him to get water to drink, but it was a pain in the ass because even on the fullest, water barely came out of faucet. If he wanted a full cup of water, he’d have to wait a minute or two. It also had this funky taste, like there was something metallic in it, but he wasn't sure. Maybe it was just the pipes being old.

“I own you.”

Rachel yanked Ryan’s chains to bring him up to her eye level. She brought her head near his neck and inhaled his earth scent.

Ryan was totally confused when he was suddenly pushed back. What did he do to get such a reaction from her? He watched everything unfold. Rachel had a disgusted look on her face. Her eyes were glowing. The orange of her eyes were pulsing inside pitch black.

“Seems I don’t just own you,” she sneered, “A whore you are, letting Alexander claim you.”

“I said,” Ryan huffed, “No one owns me.”

“You reek of him, but you can’t smell it, can you? You don’t know how he feels then?”

“If you’re talking about me and Shane, we’re nothing more than friends. I barely know him,” said Ryan.

“Foolish child. Allow me to clarify my words for your small brain. Two people fall in love, right?”

“Yeah?”

“So they kiss.”

Kiss? He never-

Ryan blushed at the memory of their first kiss. Could that even be considered a kiss? Did Shane know?

Rachel laughed at Ryan’s reaction.

“My, my. So you two  _ have _ kissed... That boy does feel something more for you,” she said.

“As I said, we’re just friends. He probably didn’t even know that we kissed!”

“You keep saying that, but are you sure?”

Rachel turned around and exited the room without another word. Ryan was left alone in silence with his loud thoughts.

Okay, maybe he did feel a little something for that demon, but there was no way they could make it work. He was currently stuck in Hell, and Shane was nowhere to be found. He wasn’t even sure he was going to get out of this place.

But what Rachel said... Did Shane really feel something for him? Ryan knew that Shane loved that woman in the old photograph. What if she’s still around? Wouldn’t that be cheating? Ryan surely couldn’t be better than that beautiful lady. 

Shane wasn’t himself that night, and Ryan wasn’t prepared for the kiss.

But the kiss...

Maybe it sparked something within him. Maybe there was something for Shane.

He would need to ask Shane about that, but he was stuck here.

Ryan sighed.

“Shane... Where are you?” he asked softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Science_Is_My_Sexuality 
> 
> Thank you for reading this fic and giving me feedback!


	17. Interlude Part 14- Shane Part 4

“I don’t care what you think! I’m going!”

“As I advised earlier, this is most likely a trap by Rachel. It is too dangerous for you to go,” said Kyle sternly.

Shane paced back and forth in the small living room. He threw his hands up in defeat and plopped himself onto the worn hardwood floor. He grabbed the letter than Rachel had sent and reread it over again for the fifth time. There were no clues he could find in those words of Ryan’s condition.

“What am I supposed to do then?” Shane asked softly, the question being more for himself.

“I’m sure Ryan is safe for now,” reassure Kyle.

It didn’t help to ease Shane’s worry.

Ryan. Ryan. _Ryan!_

* * *

 

A day passed, and Shane couldn’t stop worrying about Ryan. Kyle was beginning to catch some of his worry.

“Fine,” sighed Kyle.

Shane perked up from the couch he was sprawled on at the moment.

“Really?” he asked, shocked.

At the very moment, Shane could be mistaken as an excited puppy wagging its tail. Kyle held back a flinch.

“Yes, we can go to Hell,” said Kyle slowly.

He watched as Shane dashed around the small apartment looking for whatever. Eventually, Shane returned back with a bunch of printer paper and pens. The demon prince placed everything onto the coffee table and sat down.

“Okay, we need a bomb-ass plan then,” said Shane, already focused with his tongue sticking out from the corner of his mouth.

Kyle sat down across from Shane.

“How do you plan on getting inside the palace?” he asked.

Shane stopped to think. He hummed.

“We gotta distract her guards before we can get in,” he said, “We can have you take them down while I find a way inside.”

‘“Fine, but what happens when Rachel or her servant catches you trying to break Ryan out? You know that that’s the same as you surrendering the both of you to her. That gives her what she wanted all along,” said Kyle.

Shane waved a lazy hand, “It’s fine. I’ll get out of the whatever place Ryan is currently in ASAP.”

Kyle placed his left hand on the sheet of paper and halted whatever Shane was doing.

“I mean it,” Kyle said sternly, “Your father and I can’t risk losing you.”

Shane looked up with hard eyes.

“And I can’t risk losing Ryan,” he responded coldly.

“I’m here to protect you. That’s my duty. I can’t fail you father.”

Shane scoffed, “Look, bud. My dad hasn’t been in my life since-”  


He looked at his watch.

“-Since, I dunno, over a hundred years?”

“For a reason,” said Kyle.

Shane started getting irritated. All he wanted to do was get Ryan out of Hell, but Kyle was being an ass. The more time spent on arguing over his safety was less time constructing an elaborate plan to infiltrate Rachel’s lair. He sighed and shoved all the stuff on the table off.

“Kyle,” Shane said with a tired voice, “If I say that I’m going to be as careful as I can be while we’re down there, can we get to planning?”

The other demen sighed and nodded his head.

“Good!”

Instantly, the mood of the apartment lightened up. Shane grabbed the fallen stuff and placed the back on the table.  He brought out the paper he was scribbling on earlier to attention. Kyle realized that what Shane drew was a terrible rendition of the central part of Hell’s royal lands.

“So this is where that witch is always at,” Shane said, jabbing a finger at the long rectangle that was situated in the very back of the palace, “I swear she’s actually glued to the damn throne or something.”

“Where will Ryan be?” asked Kyle.

Shane shrugged.

“I’m not sure. Maybe he’ll be held in the palace dungeons? Or somewhere like the East Desert?”

Kyle grabbed a blank sheet of paper and pen. He started drawing a map of something that Shane didn’t recognize.

“Wazat?” he asked.

“A rough layout of the hallways through the prison chambers,” Kyle answer without looking up from the paper.

It was way better than the ‘map’ Shane had scribbled. He also never knew how the palace’s prison chambers were. He wasn’t allowed to go to that section of the palace, and he never had a interest to do so. Shane ket his eyes following Kyle’s hand as he continued to draw.

“If Rachel is going to use Ryan to get to you, than there’s a high possibility that he’s being held somewhere where she has easy access to. She would want to get to Ryan as soon as possible for when she’s allerted of your arrival to Hell.”

The demon finished drawing. He brought his finger to the far corner of the map.

“This,” Kyle said, “is where Ryan will most likely to be held in. This cell is for important people and is always heavily guarded throughout the day.”

“What if we both take down the guards at the front gates?” Shane suggested.

“And we go our separate ways, “Kyle finished.

“I head for Rachel while you get to Ryan.”

Kyle nodded, “But we still need a back up plan.”

Shane hummed. He grabbed the map that Kyle drew and scanned over the hallways. From the looks of it, it might be easier if they went together to break Ryan out since there were probably more guards stationed around the cell instead of Rachel. He was sure she could handle herself without much aid.

“Okay, so, on second thought, we should go together and take down those guards. Then you take Ryan and get out while I go to Rachel,” Shane suggested.

“I don’t like the second part,” said Kyle with a frown, “She might keep you.”

“But that will be the best time to take her down! The soon we take her down, the sooner you can return to Hell.”

“Think of Ryan,” said Kyle.

Shane’s expression grew sour.

“You know I only want him safe,” he growled.

“But your thoughts don’t reflect that. You can’t be such an utter buffoon and charge at Rachel without aid. You being dead will only hurt him more,” Kyle countered.

He watch Shane slump against the couch behind him. He rubbed his temples.

“Fine,” Shane sighed, “We’ll just get Ryan out and return back to the surface.”

Kyle reached over the coffee table and place a hand on Shane’s shoulder to comfort him.

“I know this is hard, but I’ll do everything in my power to help you, but you can’t be reckless when it comes to Rachel.”

“I know...”

“Good. Now get some rest. You’ll need it.”

Shane slowly got up and hobbled over to their shared room. He forced himself to climb the ladder to his part of the bunk bed knowing that Kyle didn’t like sleeping on top. He flopped down ungracefully and was quickly out.

That night, he dreamt of someone else besides Sara and his mother.

_Ryan._


	18. Interlude Part 15- Brent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> early update~  
> i also have a v short chapter that sorta kickstarts the story. it'll be up in maybe one or two days. im currently working on chapter 20

Brent knew Ryan since high school. Junior year to be exact. 

A silent guy that always had his face in a book about weird things. This time it was a book titled  _ House of Penance _ . Brent titled his head, trying to read the summary of the book. Ryan looked up with a confused expression.

“Sorry,” Brent apologized, “I was kinda interested in what you’re reading.”

Instantly, Ryan was more relaxed. He placed his book down with the page he was on facing the sticky cafeteria table. 

“It’s about the Winchester House. Have you heard about it?” Ryan said.

Winchester... Only in-

“Supernatural?” Brent answered unsurely.

Ryan rolled his eyes and groaned.

“No, oh my God.  _ The _ house! Wack-ass rooms in a haunted mansion?”

“Nope,” Brent said.

He watch the other slam his hands on the table.

“Listen, Mary Winchester was an amazing person!” Ryan said, getting slightly too animated for third period lunch, “It’s said that she would communicate with demons, and those rooms built were basically designed by them. That’s fucking cool!”

Brent hummed, slightly intrigued by what Ryan said.

“So you believe in ghosts?” he asked.

“Yes,” Ryan replied with an offended tone.

“Oh, cool.”

“Ghosts are real,” huffed Ryan.

“I’m not saying they don’t. I mean, they could exist,” Brent said with his hands up in mock surrender.

Ryan only nodded and went back to reading his book. For the rest of the lunch period, neither of them spoke another word. It was actually nice; the quiet between the two slightly countered the loudness of the chattering students in the room. Brent turned his attention to his unfinished trig homework. One glance at those sin graphs and he banged his head lightly on the table while wailing.

“Fuuuuuck.”

He heard Ryan chuckle.

* * *

 

He supported whatever Ryan wanted to do. Even his decision to become a writer on the paranormal. He was his best friend, and nothing was going to change that. 

There was a time when Ryan would call him up in the middle of the time night and drag him out to drive to the nearest cemetery in search of a ghost named Captain Skull Driver. What the fuck was that name?

Anyways, they drove about a bit over half an hour to the cemetery. Brent was sure what they were doing was illegal and trespassing, but Ryan insisted that 3AM was the best time to see ghosts. His friend grabbed his hand, tugging his towards the west gates of the place.

“Yo, how we gonna get into the cemetery?” asked Brent.

Ryan looked at him with a deadpan look. He dropped his backpack off his shoulders and chucked it over the gate. The backpack made a soft thump sound as it landed on the grass. Ryan rolled up his sleeves and proceeded to climb the gate.

“Wait, holy shit! You serious?” Brent whispered, afraid someone was nearby.

His friend didn’t reply and made his way over the top and dropped down on the other side. Ryan gestured for Brent to climb. He only sighed and grabbed a hold on the metal and pulled himself up.

“Where to, scout?” he asked when he landed next to Ryan.

Ryan dug inside his backpack and pulled out a bunch of papers. 

“So we’re here,” he said, pointing at the map he must’ve printed out earlier.

“And we need to go there,” Ryan continued with his index finger trailing a path to the upper west side of the cemetery.

Brent offered to carry Ryan’s stuff while he led the way to their destination. It was late summer, but it felt oddly cold. The cemetery was covered in a thin layer of fog. Dew drops were sprinkled over greenery. Every step they took made the cuffs of their pants more wet. 

The wind has been quite still on their walk to Captain Skull Driver’s grave, but as they neared, the wind picked up. 

“Look, there,” Ryan said softly.

Brent followed Ryan’s finger that was pointed to a tree without leaves. It was the only tree without leaves. Strange...

“Woah, what’s wrong with this tree?” he asked.

“That’s the marker of Captain Skull Driver’s grave. Legend says that once you see a dead tree, you’re near the resting place. The closer you get, the more you see dead things. I dunno.”

Brent shrugged and trudged on with Ryan in the lead. A minute into the walk, he suddenly bumped into Ryan’s back.

“Hey, why’d you stop?” he hissed.

“Hold on,” Ryan said, “Why is it so foggy now? It wasn’t like this when we got here.”

Brent looked around and noticed how dense the fog was. He couldn’t really see past maybe four feet in front of him. He looked at his feet and saw that the grass wasn’t green; it was more like yellow-grey.

“Dude, Ryan,” Brent said, nudging his friend in the side to get his attention.

“What?”

“I think we’re here.”

Ryan did a 360.

“Holy shit! You’re right.”

He looked back at his map, squinting hard to properly make out what on the paper. 

“We need to go...” Ryan trailed off.

There was a faint light illuminating a figure to their left. That was weird because a light was never on a moment ago. And shit! Someone caught them.

“Uh, we’re sorry for trespassing,” stammered Ryan.

“Ye-yeah, we’ll leave now,” said Brent.

The shadowing figure continued forward without saying a word. The two friends began backing up in fear. They turned around and began striding fast towards the gates they hopped over.

As they neared the exit, Ryan turned around to see if the thing, person, whatever, was still following them. He let out a relieved sigh when he was nothing behind them.

He turned to run to the gate but bumped into someone or something.

“Hey, Brent. Move your ass,” he said.

“Uh... Ryan? That’s not me.” he heard Brent say from a bit away.

Ryan looked up and saw a skeletal figure with a pirate hat on. The head of the body turned around independently; it’s eyes were glowing red.

He didn’t know when he started shaking, but he entire body was stuck in fear. 

“Shit, Ryan! Run!” Brent shouted as he began climbing the gate.

The skeleton raised a hand and tried grabbing Ryan. Luckily, he came to his senses and ducked to the side and went for the gate. He quickly threw his backpack over, letting Brent catch it safely and climbed up. As soon as Ryan touched down, the two made a run for his car which was park a ways back from the entrance. It was about a two minute run.

When they made it, Ryan put the car in reverse and drove out of the cemetery property as fast and safe as he could.

“Holy shit!” Ryan shouted.

“Holy fuck!” Brent shouted, too, “What the fuck was that?”

“Do you think it was an actual ghost?” Ryan asked.

“You mean actually Captain Skull Driver?”

“Yeah.”

“You believe what you saw?”

“I mean, it did try to get you,” Brent said lightly.

Ryan free his right hand from the steering wheel and playingfull shoved his friend’s shoulder.

“Shut up.”

Brent only chuckled.

For the rest of the ride, they said nothing else, both trying to process what had happened in the cemetery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @sslytherinsbitch:  
> yes, in a way shane did mark ryan, but it needs to be a mutual thing in order for ryan to really have pink eyes. also, he needs to be dead...  
> ryan was just explaining how to identify demons by their eye colours. yes, the demon he encountered was royal. he wasn't talking about that demon.
> 
> @AplusIsRoman:  
> thank you!  
> i only tagged this fic as 'slow burn ish'. i didn't know how the story was going to go, but i kinda do now. ryan wont be rescued and get to kiss a dashing prince yet. rachel needs to be taken down first. what about cleaning up the kingdom? yeah, there's more to come.   
> did i spoil too much?


	19. Interlude Part 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My google docs is, like, a mess rn lol  
> I mislabeled a few chapters and was super confused for a sec
> 
> Here ya go. A v short chapter. Hopefully, I'll get chapter 20 out in a few days.  
> I'll edit and clear out typos after that chapter. I'm not the best at spotting mistakes because I have no beta.

“I’ve sent Alexander a letter,” said Rachel.

Her voice was slightly muffled due to the door being in between him and her.

“If he knows what’s best for him, he’ll surrender himself to me soon.”

Okay. Ryan was now very awake.

“He’s not that dumb,” he countered, “Do you think he’s going to listen to your words and come here. You obviously don’t know him as well as you as you do.”

He only heard Rachel huff and clack away in her heels. Whatever. Good riddance.

But those sounds of steps stopped abruptly. Hushed words from a guard and a sinister cackle from Rachel.

“Good. Everything's coming together,” she said, “Let us give a warm welcome for my nephew when he arrives. You know how to treat our utmost important guests, do we?”

Shane? Shane’s here!?

He jumped from the bed and ran to the door. He pounded on it, trying to get the people outside’s attention.

“Hey! It’s me you want!” Ryan shouted, “Leave Shane out of it!”

Footsteps grew more distant. It was no use. They wouldn’t listen to him.

Ryan slumped against the door with his back against it. He began to panic. 

On one hand, he was glad that Shane cared enough to come to Hell to save him. On the other, what if Shane gets himself hurt? What if he didn’t come for him but for his own reasons? What if Rachel was bluffing, and Shane didn’t come? What if everything was just a plan to get Ryan to break? What if this was just a dream, and if he tried hard enough, he’d finally wake from this horrid dream?

_ What if... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Science_Is_My_Sexuality and sslytherinsbitch. Your kind words mean a lot to me.


	20. Interlude Part 17- Shane Part 5

They headed to the portal. Kyle had dipped his hand in goat’s blood earlier. He pressed it against the carving, and the area around them glowed bright.

* * *

 

Shane pointed a finger at the guards walking back and forth in front of the main gates of the palace. Kyle nodded and stealthily made his way behind one of the guards and placed an arm around her neck and twisted it. Shane stood back and watched as Kyle took the thirteen guards down.

As soon as Kyle was finished, he motioned to Shane to move forward. Together, they made their way inside the palace grounds.

“Hey, you two! What’s your-”

A dagger was stabbed into the neck of the guard and silenced him.

“Which way?” Shane asked Kyle as he yanked out the blade from the body of the guard.

Kyle looked around for a second.

“There’s a hidden path just behind those bushes,” he replied, pointing to Shane’s right.

“Good, let’s get moving.”

* * *

 

“Shit, man. How long is this path?” Shane groaned.

“Almost there. Do you see a tree with an X carved into it?”

Shane was about to complain some more until he saw a tree with a mark.

“Oh.”

Kyle huffed and continued forward.

* * *

 

Kyle suddenly put an arm in front of Shane to stop him.

“Wha-”

He hushed the demon.

“Did you hear about Satan’s prisoner?” asked on guard.

“What about it?”

“Heard it’s a human,” said the first guard.

Shane could barely make out the group of guards, but he saw that they slacking on their job.

“Ahahaha! No waaay! A human?” a third guard chimed in.

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen one. Wonder if Satan would let me feed a bit off of it,” said another guard.

“Hey, you lot!” shouted someone with an authoritative voice.

“Captain!” responded the group.

Each solution the captain upon her arrival. They coward in fear, but they did their best to not let it show on their faces.

“Oh, shit!” Shane whispered to Kyle.

Kyle only glared at Shane and hissed. He pointed at the guards up front.

“What are you guys doing? Half of you should be circling the prison perimeter while the other is to report back to me,” said the captain.

“We, uh, we were just about to, but-” a guard spoke up.

“‘But’?”

“We didn’t get an response from the guards at the front gates. We weren’t sure if we should go find you and report back,” said the guard.

“That front gates? Have any of you gone and checked it out?” asked the captain.

The guards stood there in silence. If you strained your ears enough, you could hear crickets.

“Oh, you lot are such idiots! Go now!” ordered the captain.

She sent a glare at the demons that made them move quickly.

Shane and Kyle watched from the thick bushes in silence, waiting for them to all leave. 

However, the captain stayed behind. She was probably going to stay there until her underlings returned with a report on what had happened to the demons at the front gates.

Shane tapped Kyle’s shoulder to get his attention.

“What?” Kyle silently mouthed in response.

Shane pointed at the captain. Kyle nodded and pointed to the left. They headed their own ways and circled around the captain. The poor captain was too busy looking at the other direction away from Kyle. She spotted Shane sneaking up to her from the corner of her eyes.

“I can see you, boy,” said the captain, not even bothering to give Shane a glance.

“You got me,” Shane said playfully with his hands up in surrender.

“State your name and purpose,” she ordered.

Shane’s eyes widened at the captain's quick movements. In a blink, the air was sliced through by the staff of the captain. The tip of the blade was barely touching Shane’s throat; he gulped. Okay, maybe he shouldn’t have been fooling around. The demon’s eyes in front of him had a gleam to them. He guessed it was her intent on killing him and her unwavering loyalty to Rachel.

“This is will the only time I repeat myself,” hissed the captain as she shifted her feet into a battle stance, “Name and purpose.”

“Aw,” Shane said, stalling, “Would you like my number as well?”

Now annoyed, the captain brought her staff to side and began to swing it.

“Wait!” Shane shouted.

She halted her arms.

“What?”

The captain suddenly fell limp. Arms caught her just in time before she hit the ground.

“That,” answered Shane.

Kyle gently set the unconscious demon on the grassy area of the ground.

“Always the gentleman,” Shane teased.

Kyle only rolled his eyes.

“Quick, we need to go to head to the west side in order to get to the prison chambers,” said Kyle.

Shane nodded and ran inside, following Kyle.


	21. Interlude Part 18- Brent Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys!  
> Sorry for the long delay! I've been kinda busy with classes starting, driving lessons, and my dumbass starting a new bfu fic. So yeah, I apologize for wait.
> 
> It you're interested in what I've been working on for the past two months, feel free to click on my profile and check out my new fic.  
> It's called [Animated Life ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15717708). It's about single parent! Ryan and his daughter and their journey together after meeting voice actor! Shane.

“Ryan?”

Brent pressed the doorbell two more times.

“Ryan, you there?”

He knocked on the door.

Silence.

He had been standing in front of his friend’s apartment door for the past seven minutes calling out to him. It seems like he wasn’t home.

Brent sighed.

Normally, Ryan would’ve sent his first draft in by now, but Brent received nothing via email or post. It was nearing the biweekly deadline before things needed to go to the publishing house to be reviewed and printed. When he tried to call him, his call would be immediately sent to voicemail. Ryan’s phone must’ve been dead or turned off. Everything was strange.

Sure, his friend would sometimes go silent, but he would still be able to reach him. Maybe after shouting at his door a couple of times, but Ryan would always answer the door. This was the first time he really heard nothing from Ryan. He was starting to get worried. Ryan was a weak person per se, but if his friend was meddling with the supernatural and whatnot, he might get himself in some danger. 

Brent had an inkling that Ryan must’ve chased after the demon at the abandoned house he was so infatuated with. Oh, God!

* * *

 

Ryan completely missed his deadline.  _ What was he doing? _

He tried and tried to get a hold of his friend, but it was no use. His last resort was to break into Ryan’s apartment.

* * *

 

Ryan had always hid his spare key in a tiny slot behind the panel of the door.  Brent took a credit card and slid it inside the opening and forced the key out.

He went to unlock the door and was greeted with nothingness.

“Ryan?” Brent called out with a little waver in his voice.

Nothing.

He closed the door behind him and walked further into the apartment and closer to Ryan’s bedroom. He ran his left hand against the wall, feeling for the lightswitch. As soon as he felt it, he moved his hand up to flick it on, but the room stayed dark.

Brent fished out his phone and turned on its flashlight. He waved the device around the room to get a glimpse of the current situation. The light landed one something on Ryan’s bed. It was currently moving around in a... bag? Brent slowly inched forward to get closer to that moving thing. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was probably just an animal trapped inside the bag. How it got itself stuck inside the back was something he couldn’t answer.

“What do I do?”Brent muttered to himself.

He gently poked the bundle of whatever, and it reacted with more squirming. Brent tightened his ‘balls’ and yanked the bag open. Out popped out a flaming cat.

A flaming cat!?

Brent didn’t have the time to be frightened and scream. It immediately turned around and pounced onto the human.

“Ahhhhh! I’m gonna burn!” screamed Brent.

The cat, if you could call it one, started to lick his face. Each lick left a cold aftertouch. Brent realized that he wasn’t currently burning into crisp and that he was okay actually. He calmed down and sat back up.

“Hey, you...” he cooed at the cat. “What’s a little thing like you doing in a place like this?”

The cat responded with more licks to the human’s face.

“You don’t live here, no you don’t,” he said.

When the animal had enough of Brent, it jumped off of him and walked out of the room.

“Hey, where are you going?” he called after the dog.

The dog meowed at Brent, telling him to follow after. Shrugging, he followed.

* * *

After what was ten or fifteen minutes of following the flaming animal around, they finally stopped at a marked up tree.

“Umm... What are we doing here?” Brent asked the cat.

The cat pawed at something at the base of the tree trunk. Brent walked to the cat and saw that it was digging up a small sandwich bag with a folded piece of paper sealed inside. He pulled it out and began reading the words out loud softly to himself.

“Kitty,” he said, “I don’t understand what the heck I just read. What is all of this?”

The cat only meowed.

“You know what? I’m just gonna scadadle now...” he said hesitantly, backing up.

Suddenly, the floor began to glow, and he and the cat was sucked into a vortex of some sort.

All that was left was Brent’s phone which he dropped when going through the portal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @ mynekoheart:  
> hmmmm who knows what people are. no one knows. youll need to wait. youre giving me ideas lol. but omg youre comment is so funny. like what if that neighbour hes been cool with since he moved in is a demon, and the person living above him is an angel.  
> ryan is a curious cat. it's gonna be his downfall soon :)
> 
> @ sslytherinsbitch:  
> ahhh thank your for your praise! i really try my best, but im always trying to improve.
> 
> @ Science_Is_My_Sexuality:  
> shane is gonna bring war :)


	22. Interlude Part 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very short chapter because I'm super overwhelmed with life rn  
> I'm sure you've noticed that there are a lot of interlude chapters. i ll return to the issue chapters as soon as im able to write ryan getting out of hell  
> :)

All Ryan could hear was chaos coming from the outside. All the commotion startled Ryan out of his deep thoughts.

“Secure the gates of the building!” ordered what must’ve been the captain or something. “You lot, head east. Aklai, take your group to the north. I’ll keep guard of the human so that traitor won’t be able to get near.”

“Yes!” the lot of guards responded unison.

Footsteps grew more distant as everyone but the captain scattered away to their posts. Whatever just happened gave Ryan hope. He sat up on the lumpy bed.

Was Shane coming to get him? How long has it been since he last saw the demon?

“Well, well, well...” said the captain to whoever was confronting him. “Look what the cat dragged in.”

“Well, well, well...” said a very familiar voice. “If it isn’t fancy meeting what the cat finally decided to show up.”

Shane!

Ryan quickly scrambled to get to the door. If he wasn’t kinda scared for his life after being help in this room for God knows how long, he would’ve laughed at Shane’s response. 

“Shane!?” he called out.

A gasp from the demon. “Ryan!”

“Shane, I’m in here!”

“Oh, no you don’t” growled the captain. 

There was the sound of something heavy being dragged across the floor. The captain grunted as he lifted up his weapon. Heavy footsteps walked closer to the chamber door.

“You won’t be able to get to that pathetic human, traitor,” said the captain.

“Try me, bitch,” taunted Shane.

The captain grunt and ran towards the other demon. There were loud noises that came from the clanking of the captain’s weapon hitting the walls of the building as Shane must’ve dodged all incoming attacks. 

Ryan couldn’t do anything, all helpless. He just hoped and prayed that Shane would make it out alive to be able to get him out of this cell and back to Earth. He didn’t want to spend any more time stuck in this Hell hole, literally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @ Rybergara:  
> thank you


	23. Interlude Part 20- Rachel Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im calling this a semi hiatus, but idek  
> i want to return to my other bfu fic thats called one plus one equals you and me, but i have this fic and animated life to write.  
> its a lot, but i'll be on break in two weeks. yay

“How did that brat escape!?” Rachel growled.

“I-”

“Shut up!” she shouted at the lowly guard. She grabbed his head and slammed it against the wall of the castle. The poor demon crumpled onto the ground and layed there lifeless. Rachel swiftly turned around to face the group of guards that were currently watching her rage. They stiffened up in fear and all took a few steps back to distance themselves away from Satan’s wrath. One knew better than to say that they didn’t know to Rachel. She made it very clear that she didn’t tolerate incompetence.

“You lot!” she pointed at the group. Every one of them jumped in fear. 

“Yes,” said the head of the guards meekly.

“Bring me the head of the captains,” ordered Rachel.

The poor head dashed away quickly. The rest of the guards cowarded back in the corner away from the ruler. She huffed and turned around and walked out of the room. The loud clacking of the heel of her shoes resonated eerily throughout the throne room. It sent shivers down everyone’s spin.

* * *

 

Rachel sat on a bed of black roses. Her hellhound was resting its head on her lap. She gently ran her fingers through the smokey fur of the demon German Shepard. The smoke of the tail waved as the dog wagged her tail. Rachel smiled at her pet.

But as calm and worry-free she was in her personal garden with her dog, she had to deal with Alexander. That ungrateful child that ran away to the surface to elope with humans. How disgusting. Just the thought of that foul demon made her irritated. She unconsciously clenched her hand. Her hellhound whined.

“Oh, Aerias, I’m sorry,” Rachel apologized. She kissed her index finger and blow lightly on it. She tapped the place that she involuntarily hurt on her dog. The spot glowed a bright blue, pulsing. Aerias yipped in response, rolling onto her stomach to lick Rachel’s hand.

“Good girl,” Rachel cooed. She ruffled the fur smoke.

* * *

 

“Ehn,” she called out loudly.

“Right here,” the servant responded.

“How’s the human doing?” Rachel asked.

Ehn stayed silent with his head down. Rachel sat waiting on her throne. When a few long moments passed with nothing from Ehn, she walked down the steps to get right into his face.

“Ehn,” she said, “You heard me. The human?”

Ehn did his best to look into her eyes. “It go loose.”

Rachel’s eyes blazed with fury. The servant gulped and slowly stepped back, but the ruler stalked forward.

“You!” she shouted, “You’re supposed to keep that thing inside that room!”

“I-I, yes, but, no. You see,” Ehn stammered.

“No excuses.”

“I know, but-”

“But?”

“Your nephew?”Ehn said as if it was a question.

Rachel thrusted her left arm to the side, sending a ball of fire that collided with the wall. The place shook, and bits of the wall decorations crumbled onto the marble floor.

“Then. Track. Him. Down!” she shouted.

Ehn said no more and quickly raced out the door to contact the guards of the prison that was supposed to hold the human.

Rachel growled and stomped her foot on the floor. The marble cracked under her foot and left a small crater.

“Fuck!” she screamed on the top of her lungs.

Nothing was going great for her ever since Alexander was born. Nothing good came from that demon. He needed to be erased.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @ Rybergara:  
> thank you~

**Author's Note:**

> I'm malecvows on tumblr  
> Come say hi.


End file.
